Missing McGee
by Optimisticat
Summary: What starts out as a bad day for McGee only goes from bad to worse at work. When mcGee is kidnapped, it's up to the rest of the team to find him, and realize just how much he means to them. Will they succeed? Read to find out. Reviews are welcome! :D
1. Chapter 1

Rated- T - English - Adventure/Hurt/Comfort -

**Author's note**: _Hi everyone, I just wanted to say thank you for reading this story today. Please excuse me if there are any slight grammatical errors or punctuation errors. This is my very first published Fan Fiction story. Reviews are more than welcome! I will try to update it as often as possible. Thank you for reading my story! I hope that you enjoy!_

**Disclaimer**: I have a purple-polka dotted cow that can fly and I live in cotton candy clouds. Nope! Just kidding! I don't own a purple cow that can fly, and I most certainly do not own any of the characters or anything that has to do with NCIS!

**Summary:**What starts out as a bad day for McGee only goes from bad to worse at work. When he's kidnapped, it's up to the rest of the team to find him and along the way, will they realize just how much he means to them? Read and find out!

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

The Beginning of a Bad Day

McGee sighed. Today was going to be a long day. He was preparing himself to face Gibbs's anger and explain to him as to why he was late to work, but he knew that Gibbs would be too upset to truly listen to him. McGee had left his apartment at exactly 6:00 am sharp, but he hadn't driven more than five miles and was about to turn onto the highway when he spotted a man bending over the trunk of his car that was pulled over on the side of the road. Seeing that no one was stopping by the man to offer help, McGee decided that he would, even if it meant that he would be late for work. Good naturedly, McGee had made a U-turn and then pulled over, asking the man if he needed any help.

When the man had answered with a "yes", McGee stopped his car and turned off the engine, then went to investigate what was wrong with the other man's car. The car was almost out of gas, and it definitely needed a good jumpstart, McGee could tell.

"It looks like the car's out of gas, and it definitely needs a good jumpstart. Can you wait for another twenty minutes while I go to the gas station and get some gas to fill your car? I should be back soon," McGee asked the man.

"Sure, I think that I can wait another twenty minutes or so," the man replied. "I want to say thank you for doing this for me. I've been stuck here for over a little more than an hour, and nobody cared to stop by until you did."

McGee responded with a simple, "It's no problem. I'm just surprised that no one else cares."

After finishing his small chat with the man, McGee then drove to a gas station about two miles away. Once he had arrived at the gas station, McGee purchased a gallon of gas for $15 and then drove back to the man who was stranded with his car. As McGee loaded up the car with gas, he talked to the man about what he enjoyed to do in his free time and what he did for a living.

"So, what brings you here to Washington D.C.?"

"Oh, I'm actually headed towards the Naval Academy in Maryland, but I'm heading there to start my first day of work as a Science Teacher," the man replied.

"I'm Christopher, by the way," he added.

"It's nice to meet you, Chris, or do you go by Christopher? I'm McGee. Timothy McGee."

"It's okay, I go by Chris," Christopher replied, "and it's a pleasure to meet you, Tim. I feel like we've known each other for ages, even though we just met."

"You know, I was just thinking the same thing," McGee replied. "Do you have an e-mail address that I can contact you at? I sure would love to stay in touch," McGee told Christopher.

"Sure, sure thing! Let me write it out for you! Give me just a moment," said Christopher, obviously enthusiastic about the e-mail exchanges.

By the time both of them had finished exchanging e-mail addresses, the gasoline container was empty and the two of them were enjoying themselves, laughing out loud at each other's stories, sharing pats on the back and talking to each other as if they'd been best friends for years. It was only when McGee glanced down at his watch that he noticed what time it was.

"Oh shoot," he gasped, realizing what time it was, and told Christopher that he had to go. "I've got to go! I'm already an hour late to work! I look forward to keeping in touch with you, Chris!"

"Yeah, same here! it was nice to meet you Tim! Thank you for stopping for me," Christopher chirped. "We'll stick in touch!"

"Okay, sounds great!" yelled McGee, and then the two of them drove off in different directions.

After he was on the road again, McGee recalled the conversation that he had with Christopher and then remembered wishing him luck that the rest of his day would go well. McGee already knew that his own day wouldn't, and that he would still have to face Gibbs' wrath when he arrived at work an hour late, but in the end, he thought that it was all worth it, just to help another fellow human in need.

As he rode up the elevator to his office in the NCIS Headquarters, he wondered what else was going to go wrong today. Over the last week, he and the rest of the team had been struggling with finding the answers to a particularly hard case. A young naval cadet had been found shot in the middle of a deserted corn field, and by the looks of it, he had been dead for at least a week. According to Ducky's analysis, the poor young man had been beaten up before he was murdered. The John Doe, Ducky concluded, was only 20 years old when he died.

McGee knew that Gibbs would take this case very hard, as he always did when any naval officer was murdered, but taking a case that had to deal with the death of a young kid was always especially hard on everyone. It had always been exceptionally hard for Gibbs when a young officer was killed, but this marine had just graduated from the Naval Academy less than two weeks before, and so far the team hadn't found any leads. That only added to Gibbs' frustration.

McGee had already put in several late hours this week of his time and effort into the case, staying behind at the office until midnight (twice) in an effort to find any traces or clues that had been left behind, only to come back to work the next morning empty-handed with no results. He was more tired in the mornings this week than usual, but no one seemed to notice that.

"Oh well," McGee thought. "Maybe I'll find something tonight that will be useful. No, change that. I will find something of use! I will stay behind at the office all evening if I have too, but tonight, I won't stop or go back home until I find something useful. I've got to find something! Surely there must be some trace of evidence that we could use!" He promised himself that he would find a trace tonight, if not earlier. he couldn't disappoint Gibbs any more than he was already.

McGee sighed. It was going to be one heck of a week.

As McGee stepped out of the elevator, he could hear Tony giggling in the background, "Oh! Probie's going to be in soooo much trouble now! Just you wait until Gibbs comes up and sees this!"

McGee continued to walk forward and with a curious voice, asked, "Sees what, Tony?"

Tony whirled around in surprise at the sound of McGee's voice, but smirked at him instead. Behind Tony stood Ziva, who had a bemused look of faked confusion etched upon her face.

Tony was smiling now, in fact he was grinning slyly as he answered McGee's question. "Oh, nothing, Probie. Nothing at all. Why do you ask?"

Behind Tony, Ziva could barely contain her laughter.

"I thought that you might have played a prank on me again, like the last time when you put superglue on my laptop's keyboard, or that time when you switched my computer monitors," McGee spoke.

"Me? Why, I would never do such a thing! Can't you see that I'm innocent? I can't believe that you would think that I would do something like that, McGee! I thought that you trusted me! Do you really think that I would work that hard to pull something off like that on you? Besides, you're so gullible we know that you'd fall for it like you did last time! Come on, Probie, I thought that you would know me by now!" Tony responded.

"Actually, I already do," thought McGee, but he didn't say that thought aloud. To him, it seemed like Tony was just trying to have some fun and was trying to relieve some of the tension in the air. McGee was thankful for his teasing this time, though, because it would relieve his stress thinking about what was going to go wrong today.

"DiNozzo!," Gibbs barked at Tony as he made his grand entrance into the room and then head-slapped Tony.

"Get back to work. Now!" Gibbs waited a few seconds for DiNozzo to listen to his order and watched as he sat back down at his desk and started typing furiously.

Ziva quickly followed in Tony's footsteps.

"Where's McGee?" Gibbs demanded.

Very cautiously, McGee spoke up. He already knew that he was in trouble, but now he had to face it. And facing an angry Gibbs in front of the rest of the team while remaining silent was going to be a difficult challenge.

"I'm right here," McGee answered. "I apologize for arriving to work late this morning. I was just…"

McGee was never able to finish the rest of that sentence. Gibbs was making it hard for him to respond to his questions. For some strange reason, Gibbs always seemed to make McGee nervous when he needed to talk to him. Gibbs was making it impossible to reply back right now. Gibbs' right eyebrow was raised quizzically, and his steely cold blue eyes stared at McGee like a hawk. McGee didn't know what to say. Like a storm, Gibbs burst out at McGee with a chilling downpour of irritation and a slight (make that a large) dose of impatience.

"And just why are you so late this morning, McGee? It's 8:05! We're in the middle of trying to solve a case, and you're here late. Why are you late? Did you run into a damsel in distress? Did you forget something important? Or did you accidently sleep in? We don't have time for this, McGee. We need to find who killed that cadet ASAP! Whatever excuse it is, I don't need to hear about it. Just get to work. Now!" Gibbs roared.

"Yes, boss," McGee said in a downcast voice, without bothering to even explain his excuse to Gibbs. He knew that trying to explain why he was late to his boss would be a lost cause. That, and his boss didn't need to deal with more stress than he was already experiencing.

McGee could feel the red tinge creep up his cheeks and then the top of his ears as started walking towards his desk. He wasn't someone who was easily embarrassed, but being yelled at by his boss in front of the rest of his colleagues was embarrassing.

It wasn't that McGee wasn't manly enough to take a butt-chewing by his boss, because he was. In fact, McGee was more than willing to listen to a lecture from Gibbs anytime it was necessary just so that he could learn what he had done wrong and correct the mistakes he made. But this time, it was different. This time, Gibbs had yelled at him and criticized his novel, and verbally expressed his doubt about McGee's ability to get to work on time, and on top of that, Gibbs had accused him of being lazy! He was anything but! As if the lecture wasn't enough, Gibbs had yelled at him in front of the rest of his teammates. Sigh. Today was _definitely_ going to be a_ looong _day.

As he passed Tony's desk, he could hear Tony at first trying not to laugh, but then laughing softly out loud.

Ouch. That hurt. "Thanks, Tony," McGee said, sarcastically thanking Tony. McGee turned to Ziva's desk and could tell that her eyes held the slightest twinkle of amusement inside of them. Wonderful. Simply wonderful. Well, at least he had brought a smile to Ziva's face today, and given Tony something else to tease him about later.

"Well, that was not a good way to start the day," McGee thought.

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><p>And so we end Chapter 1!<p>

Well? What did you guys think? I'm sorry if you read it at first and then it disappeared, I accidently deleted it. Not on purpose! This is my first attempt at publishing a Fan Fiction story.

I will try to update it again soon, but we have some relatives whom I haven't seen in 3 years who are visiting with us now. But I'll try to update it again sometime this week!

Thank you for the reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I have a purple-polka dotted cow that can fly and I live in cotton candy clouds. Nope! Just kidding! I don't own a purple cow that can fly, and I most certainly do not own any of the characters or anything that has to do with NCIS!

**Author's note**: _Hi, I just wanted to apologize for all of the confusion yesterday. I accidently republished the first chapter, so here's the REAL second chapter and I want to apologize once again for everything yesterday. Thank you for your patience. Hopefully nothing will go wrong with publishing this time around! _

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Practical Jokes aren't Funny

McGee groaned inwardly when he saw the humongous pile of work that was on his desk waiting for him. How had he possibly received those many work assignments in one evening? They would take forever to complete!

"Great, just great," McGee mumbled to himself as he sat down at his desk, removing packet after packet after worksheet after reports off to the side of his desk. He would never be able to finish these reports by tomorrow.

"Well, at least tomorrow's a Saturday," he thought. "If I can finish these by the end of the day, and then start looking for leads, then I might be able to finish by Saturday afternoon. But Gibbs will be expecting me to work on the case, and the case always comes first, but at the same time, I have to finish all of these assignments by tomorrow! How can one agent possibly receive three new assignments in one day? How does Gibbs expect me to be able to finish typing up all of these reports and worksheets and work on the case at the same time? How come Tony and Ziva don't have nearly as much work as I do? Maybe I should go talk to Gibbs. Oh, but wait. I should probably log onto my computer first."

As McGee pulled out his chair from his office desk, he thought that there was definitely something suspicious about the way his computer keyboard was propped up next to his computer. Upon closer examination, he noticed that nothing seemed to be too out of the ordinary, so after he set down his backpack with his work supplies on the floor, he began to type.

Then came the unexpected surprise. As McGee tried to log into his computer, an ominous gray "Error" warning window appeared on McGee's screen and told McGee that the network was unable to recognize his password and that he would have to try again. McGee figured it was just a slight computer glitch, but at the same time, he couldn't help but suspect that this had to do something with Tony. McGee could hear Tony's smirk from a mile away, even though it was impossible to hear smiles. After McGee tried to log on again, the same "Error" window appeared again, leaving McGee to realize that something was definitely up with his computer. It had never given him any trouble before, so why wasn't it letting him log in? After a third and final try, the computer locked McGee out from being able to log in again. McGee was speechless. He had never, never once in his entire career of working at NCIS been locked out of his computer up until now. He could do nothing but stare in shock at his computer screen for a moment. From behind him, McGee could hear Tony cracking up with laughter, no longer trying to hide it from McGee anymore.

"Having some computer problems there, McGeek?" he asked McGee, mockingly.

"Yes, as the matter in fact, Tony, I am," McGee tried to hide his irritation. If he could just relax some more and realize that Tony was only trying to play a practical joke on him, then surely his irritation would disappear. Besides, Tony was only trying to lighten up the mood in the NCIS Headquarters. But still, McGee was beginning to get a little annoyed at Tony for delaying him from working on the case of the murdered naval cadet. If only Tony would realize that he was going a little too far this time, and that McGee was trying really hard to make Gibbs proud by finding a lead, and that he really needed to log on so that he could get started on his ten reports and find a lead, then McGee would drop his irrational irritation. But he still considered that if he expressed these thoughts to Tony by yelling at him, then it would only make the day go worse. Sigh. So McGee decided that he would face today's challenges without getting upset, and that he would find things to be optimistic about instead.

"Okay, Tony, I know that you did something to my computer, and ha ha, the joke's on me, but right now, I really need to get to work. So would you please mind fixing my computer and return it back to normal, please?" McGee asked Tony.

"Sorry, no can do," replied Tony, who was now standing a foot away from where McGee was sitting at his desk, stress and worry etched into his face.

"You're officially locked out of the computer, and I can't log you back on. You'll need to get Gibbs to do that." Tony chuckled. "And I thought that you were the computer specialist, McGullible!"

McGee's face cringed upon hearing those last words spoken from Tony's mouth. His entire day had just gotten worse. Not only was Gibbs mad at him for being late, but now Gibbs was going to be furious when he learned that McGee couldn't log onto his computer and was slowing down the rest of the team.

"Again, as usual," McGee thought.

"_B-u-u-u-t_," Tony added with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "I _can_ plug the network cable wire back into your computer for you. You'll still have to go face Gibbs though and ask for him to grant you access necessary in order for you to log in again," Tony concluded, with pure amusement etched upon his face.

This time, McGee groaned out loud. This really wasn't what he needed right now. How on earth could his day get any worse? He didn't want to think about it. Instead, McGee resentfully thanked Tony for plugging the computer wire in again, and then chided himself for being so gullible as to fall into the trap that was set up for him, one that he could have easily avoided. How could he have been so stupid to not realize that the network cable had been unplugged? Stupid, stupid, stupid! And now, as a result of his stupidity, McGee had to face Gibbs' anger once again, but this time would be even worse than the last time.

"Let's just get this over with," thought McGee. What a day so far.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Once again, thank you for your paitence! I will try to upload a third chapter tonight! Enjoy the story!


	3. Relieving Stressful Emotions

**Disclaimer**: I have a purple-polka dotted cow that can fly and I live in cotton candy clouds. Nope! Just kidding! I don't own a purple cow that can fly, and I most certainly do not own any of the characters or anything that has to do with NCIS!

**Author's note**: Hello again, everybody! I just wanted to say thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I hope that you'll excuse the way that I portrayed Gibbs in this chapter, because I know that he'd never respond to McGee the way that I portray he would like this on the show, I don't think. I just portrayed him like that so as to make the story a little more interesting and to give it a little more drama and seriousness. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy the rest of Chapter 3!

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Relieving Stressful Emotions

McGee trudged in dreaded silence towards Gibbs' desk.

Over time, throughout the years, McGee had come to know Gibbs better as a person rather than someone who was just his boss. McGee knew that Gibbs was a man of steel- you could see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice. McGee had come to his own conclusions that although Gibbs had a hard shell on the outside, he was a man who had a soft heart on the inside. He knew that Gibbs was the type of guy who loved to get work done on time, and he knew Gibbs as a man who was strong, determined, courageous, and very stubborn at times. Gibbs was a strong leader who truly cared for each and every one of the members on his team. He would never take "No" for an answer.

And it was because of Gibbs' stubbornness to take no for an answer that McGee was scared. Well, not really scared, but just a little bit nervous. Okay, change that. Maybe he was_ really_ nervous.

"Well, here goes nothing. There's no way to avoid it, and I'd better get done and over with now instead of later. Maybe he'll show some compassion this time. Or maybe, just maybe, I can get him to smile instead," McGee nervously thought. By now he had reached Gibbs' desk.

"Um, ah, um…Boss?" McGee stuttered, clearly uncomfortable in the sight of Gibbs.

"Yes, McGee? Speak up, I can barely hear you. What is it?" Gibbs spoke in a low, threatening voice.

"I ah, was, no, I am uh…um…that is, I mean to say…" McGee stumbled through his words, trying to clear his brain of the fogginess that had suddenly engulfed it in the presence of Gibbs.

"What is it, McGee? Can't you see that I'm trying to work? What is your question? And spit it out! Loud!" Gibbs snapped back.

"I need your help to unlock my computer so that I can log in," McGee said sheepishly, facing Gibbs, his face turning a bright shade of pink.

Although McGee wasn't looking at Gibbs straight in the face, he could feel Gibbs glaring at him. Whatever chance he had at making Gibbs proud today had disappeared for McGee.

"What did you just say?" asked Gibbs, incredulous yet extremely frustrated at the same time.

"I said," McGee started nervously, his eyes looking at his shoes in front of him, "that I need your assistance to unlock my computer and give me access to log in. I didn't mean to cause you any more reason for delay today, Boss, but I fell for one of Tony's pranks and now I can't log into my computer because it has locked me out!" McGee cried in desperation, hoping to make his point clear to Gibbs.

"Whoa whoa, hold on there for just a second," Gibbs said.

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><p>Gibbs couldn't believe what he had just heard. McGee, the computer expert, who had a Masters Degree in Computer Forensics among many other degrees, was locked out of his computer. Never once in all of the eight years that he had spent working at NCIS with his team had McGee ever been locked out of his computer. This was definitely a first.<p>

Gibbs needed to hear that one more time so that he could fully understand it. McGee, Gibbs' computer consultant and technology know-it-all expert, had fallen for one of Tony's pranks again and was now locked out of his computer. Out of all things, this was the event that was the least likely to ever occur at NCIS. Had it not have been for the timing, Gibbs would have started chuckling to himself out loud in laughter. But he couldn't laugh right now, because they had a case that they needed to solve, and McGee had just caused another delay and was wasting precious time that he could be using to help solve the case.

"Could you repeat that for me, please," Gibbs asked McGee with a slight frown on his face.

"I said that I need your assistance to unlock my computer so that I can log in and work on the case," McGee replied.

"I know that this is another delay, and I'm really sorry about that, but I couldn't help it this time. Tony unplugged the network cable to my computer and I didn't notice it until it was too late. So now, I need your help to give me authorization via through your computer to allow me to log in again," McGee finished.

Instead of laughing out loud, Gibbs frowned even more than he had before. He couldn't laugh at McGee now; there would be time for that later. Right now, he really needed to focus on getting his job done and making sure that they found a lead for the case. He couldn't deal with any more distractions or with any more delays. He needed to focus on finding that psycho maniac who killed that young naval cadet. This was a serious matter, a time to be working at maximum speed, and this was not a time for joking or delays. So instead of laughing, Gibbs started yelling. The stress had finally built up too much and was now being unleashed like a crashing wave upon poor McGee.

"McGee! How could you be so gullible?" Gibbs asked McGee absent mindedly with a bigger frown on his face.

Gibbs couldn't contain his emotions for the case bottled up inside him any more, and stopped struggling to contain them inside his head any longer. He needed to let his emotions out, and he was mad at McGee anyways.

"I can't believe that you are bringing this to me! During all of these years that you've worked at NCIS, you've had plenty of experiences with Tony's pranks, and you mean to tell me that you fell for one again today? Today of all days, McGee! This is the second time this week! We have a very important critical case to solve here!" Gibbs ranted.

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><p>Gibbs was stressed out beyond the max. In a week's time, the team still hadn't been able to come up with any evidence or find any clues that would lead them to the identity of the murderer. He was mad. He was mad that an innocent person, a kid for God's sake, had been brutally murdered. On top of that, the murderer was an expert who hadn't left any traces behind for the team to follow. The murderer was good. Darned good. That left the problem of finding the murderer's identity, something that was clearly not going to be easy to find.<p>

Gibbs reflected on his mind. He'd taken the case on Monday, today was Friday, and they still didn't have a single danged lead to follow. As if that wasn't enough, McGee had arrived late today, wasting precious minutes that could be spent trying to find the identity of the murderer. Although he didn't want to admit it, Gibbs needed McGee to work his hardest today so that he could use his brain and attempt to at least find a lead for the team to follow. And now, here he [McGee] was, standing right in front of him, telling him that he couldn't log on to his computer. Great. Just great. Another delay caused by…McGee! Again! Seriously! When would that agent take his work seriously and realize that this case was more important than anything else?

To say that Gibbs was mad would have been an understatement. He was furious! Gibbs couldn't keep his emotions for the case bottled up inside of him any longer. He needed something to yell at that would absorb all of his anger and wouldn't yell back. And unfortunately for McGee, that "something" or someone that Gibbs was needed to yell at just happened to be McGee himself.

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><p>Gibbs continued yelling his frustration in an absent-minded rage, unaware that he was yelling directly at point-blank range at McGee.<p>

"I can't believe that you are locked out of your own computer. Aren't you supposed to be the smart person on this team? I would have to think that you would be more aware of Tony's pranks by now. Do you ever think before you act, McGee? I mean, how could you have missed that unplugged cable wire?" Gibbs started out talking to McGee in his normal voice, but that slowly increased in volume.

"Don't you have a Master's degree in computer forensics? Isn't that what you're on my team for? To be smart enough to operate that darned piece of technology and find the leads to the case?" Gibbs continued.

"Have you even been able to find any clues yet, McGee? You should've had something by now, damn it! What's taking you so long? Can't you do any better than this? You've failed, McGee! I can't be any more disappointed in you than I am right now!"

Gibbs was on a roll now. No stopping now. No turning back.

"Now is not the time for distractions McGee! Stop delaying this case any further and get to work! You've done enough damage already as it is today! Just get back to work. NOW!" Gibbs yelled.

"Yes, Boss," McGee answered with a pain-filled voice, one that was barely even audible at all. His face was a dark shade of red, and his head was angled down just enough so that he could look at his shoes instead of having to deal with the furious expression that was on Gibbs' face. He could feel the tension throughout the rest of the room as he looked up at Gibbs with a look of hurt and self-doubt in his green eyes and then trudged slowly but meaningfully back towards his desk. He didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say. He could feel Tony and Ziva staring at him, but he didn't care. He was hurt by Gibbs' words, deeply.

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><p>McGee had really done it now. He had made his Boss become mad at him, he had made Gibbs yell at him, and he couldn't stop the repeated echoes of his harsh words in his mind.<p>

McGee had disappointed his Boss, which was worse than suffering through a million of Tony's pranks or being putting up with being called Tony's pet peeve nick names for him for a week. Actually, McGee was already used to being continuously addressed by Tony's nicknames for him for weeks at a time. In fact, there probably never was a day that Tony had called McGee by his full name when he was at work. But still, disappointing Gibbs felt like a knife twisted in the stomach for McGee. How could he have been such a failure today?

What had he done to make Gibbs so upset? There was no way that he would be able to impress Gibbs like he had planned today, and now there was no way that he was ever going to be able to make it up to him. There was no way that he would ever earn favor in the sight of his Boss again- had he ever gained a sight of favor in his boss's eyes? Did Gibbs even care that he, Timothy McGee, was a living human being and had emotions as well?

"Come on, McGee, snap out of it!" McGee chided himself mentally. "You know that Gibbs does care for you, even if you make mistakes sometimes. Remember that time when Jethro attacked you and Gibbs asked if you were alright? Heck, he even gave you the day off, don't you remember? And what about that time when Sarah was accused of murder and you almost quit your job trying to protect her? Don't you remember how he asked you to come back? How he convinced you to come back to your job and persuaded you not to quit? Don't you remember how concerned he was for you and how he understood why you made the choices you made? Come on, McGee! You know better! Gibbs does care for you; he's just really upset right now," McGee thought.

McGee thought that Gibbs didn't even know what he was talking about anyways. Over the last week, McGee had stayed behind after everyone else at the office, working his head off staring at the screen in front of him, trying his best to find some possible clue for the team to follow in the morning. McGee had stayed at his work until his eyes were watery, or until he was so tired that he couldn't fall asleep. (Generally, for the last few nights in a row, he had driven home around 2 am in the morning and had fallen asleep at 3.) No, Gibbs didn't even understand the amount of time and work that he had put into this case, and it probably wouldn't matter if he knew anyways. McGee pondered the possibilities of what might have occured had he defended himself from Gibbs' accusations- Gibbs might have gotten even more mad than he was already.

McGee had failed, though. He had failed to do anything right today and he had failed to make his Boss smile. Hopefully he would be able to find some sort of a lead today and prove himself to Gibbs that he was not a failure, and that he did work hard, and that he would always be willing to do anything for his Boss or the rest of the team even if he hurt himself in the process.

As McGee sat back down at his desk, he didn't choose to wallow in self-pity. He decided that he would work non-stop today until he found a lead. He was determined to make Gibbs proud. He was determined to encourage the rest of the team today by not making any more mistakes and by finding a lead. He would prove himself today. He had to. He just had to. And like Gibbs would do, Timothy McGee decided that tonight, for a change, he would not take "No" for an answer.

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><p>As Tony and Ziva watched McGee, they saw McGee head for his desk looking like a kicked puppy abandoned in the rain. His usually bright, cheery green eyes had darkened in color, and the cheeriness and optimism that could generally be found in them had disappeared. One look at McGee was all that Tony and Ziva needed to see to know that McGee was hurting. But then, almost as if in the blink of an eye, they saw McGee sit up straight at his desk and tall in his chair and they watched as he tensed his shoulders but then let them relax. They saw McGee lift up his face to face his computer, and they saw him stretch his arms across his desk and begin to type. Those eyes that were once filled with guilt were now filled with determination. McGee lifted his eyes to his computer screen, and after inhaling and exhaling a breath deeply through his lungs, he began to type.<p>

Ziva and Tony stared at McGee. How could he get back to work so quickly when he was obviously hurting inside? Why didn't he yell back at Gibbs when Gibbs had yelled at him? They both already knew the answer to the last question. McGee had a lot of respect for Gibbs, and the rest of the team, but that didn't mean that he couldn't yell back at Gibbs. McGee was a caring, compassionate person by nature, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't stand up for what he believed was right. Why didn't he yell back at Gibbs and defend himself? Perhaps he had probably thought that yelling at Gibbs wouldn't help to solve the case. They both knew that McGee had a lot of respect for his boss, and, for that matter, the rest of the team. They were both worried for McGee now; he shouldn't have had to listen to Gibbs yell at him so harshly. Why didn't either of them defend him? Gibbs had no excuse to get that mad at McGee just because he was mad at the case. Tony made a mental note to himself that he would have to talk to Gibbs about his anger issues later.

To Ziva, it seemed like McGee had deliberately allowed Gibbs to yell at him… and then it clicked inside of her mind. McGee was trying to prevent Gibbs from getting angry at the rest of the team. Poor McGee! He had such a big heart, trying to perform a subtle act of kindness for his teammates by allowing Gibbs to get mad at him instead of the rest of them. Ziva should have known Timothy McGee would do something like that. She felt terrible when she realized that she didn't stand up for him, though. No one on the team, especially McGee, should be told that they were a failure.

As the two of them continued to stare at McGee, they wondered what he was thinking at the moment. Tony wondered if McGee purposely allowed Gibbs to get mad at him and wondered how he could be so determined to work his hardest for the man who had just yelled and criticized him so cruelly. And how did he recover so fast? Tony stared across the room and shared a look with Ziva. She seemed to be concerned for McGee. But why wasn't he concerned? At first he thought that it was funny to see Tim's reaction to his network cable being unplugged, and then go ask Gibbs to give him access to log on, but Tony had never meant for McGee to face an unusually angry Gibbs and be insulted so much like he just was a few minutes ago. Heck, Gibbs should've been mad at him for pulling the prank instead of McGee! Tony realized that he needed to apologize to him later. Tony hadn't meant to make Gibbs go all furious and mad at McGee and start yelling at him. he had only tried to make it so that McGee would embarass himself somewhat. In all honesty, he truly hadn't meant to get McGee in trouble.

Ziva wondered how McGee felt inside, and why he was so determined to continue working even harder than before when Gibbs had just yelled at him. She decided that she would ask him later. Right now, she needed to work on the case. But later on, she would apologize to McGee for not coming to his aid when he was being yelled at and then she would approach Gibbs and express her displeasure at his cruel behaviour towards McGee.

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><p>McGee was mad at himself. Why hadn't he yelled back at Gibbs? Although he highly respected Gibbs as his boss and as a team leader, he could've at least defended himself when he was being yelled at. Gibbs' words hurt him deeply, but he decided that there would be time to pay attention to them later. As McGee continued to type, he decided that he wouldn't stop looking for any leads no matter what, unless it was an emergency, or unless Gibbs had something else for him to do. As he typed, he thought to himself, "I won't stop typing until I've found a lead. I am going to make Gibbs smile today, and I am going to find a lead today. I won't stop typing until I do so. I just won't stop typing…"<p>

Maybe today could still be a good day after all.

But that wasn't going to be. If only McGee knew what was in store for him later on that evening...

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> And so we end Chapter 3! Did you catch the last line's warning? Ba Ba Ba Bummmm...! Hint, Hint, Foreshadowing! (Cough) (Cough) I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed reading it! Hopefully I will be able to update Chapter 4 soon.


	4. Nicknames

**Disclaimer":** I don't own any of the characters from NCIS- they belong to the awesome people who created the show in the first place!

**Author's note:** I just wanted to say thank you VERY much for your patience and all of the wonderful reviews! Your comments about my story give me inspiration and encourage me to continue writing. Thank you very much! And now, without further ado, here's chapter 4!

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

Nicknames

McGee hadn't been typing at his computer for more than five minutes when Vance suddenly arrived at the foot of Gibbs' desk, saying, "Gibbs, I need to see you in my office, now,"

Gibbs stood up from his chair and walked up to Director Vance's office with Vance. Gibbs was gone for several minutes, but when he returned, he addressed the team by saying,

"Get up; grab your gear. We've got a dead marine west of D.C. We've got a new case to work on. Now. Director's orders," He commanded.

McGee willingly complied. A new case would give his brain a chance to reboot after so many hours of working on a specific case. It would also give him some time to rethink some thoughts through and possibly start looking at their current case at a new angle. As he was pondering through different thoughts mentally, Gibbs added,

"Ziva, you're driving." Tony was not very enthusiastic when he heard that.

"Boss, why does Ziva get to drive? Am I not a better driver than her? I could get us to the crime scene just as fast as she does, without making us get sick!" he complained.

"Are you questioning my judgment?" Gibbs asked Tony with a bemused, you'd-better-not-be-questioning-me glare.

"Um, no Boss," Tony replied. "I'm shutting up now," he said with his usual grin.

"Good," Gibbs replied. "The only reason that I chose Ziva is because she is able to drive us to the crime scene the fastest, without causing too many accidents," he added. "You got a problem with that?" he asked Tony.

"Um, no, Boss. Like I said earlier, I'm shutting up now," Tony answered.

"Good," Gibbs replied. "You will be doing us all a favor,"

Tony's jaw dropped as he stared at his boss, first with a look of shock, then confusion, and finally fake hurt.

"What?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"You heard what I said, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

Ziva snickered in the background, but stopped when Gibbs glared at her. McGee couldn't help but laugh out loud as well.

"Oh, stop laughing at me, McGiggles!" Tony yelled at McGee.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help myself," McGee told Tony. "No offense, but it's kind of funny when your mouth gets you in trouble with Gibbs," he finished.

"McGee is right," Ziva added. "I thought that it was very funny when Gibbs said that you'd be doing us all a favor when you said that you'd be shutting up," Ziva started to smile with amusement at Tony.

"Ha ha, it's not very funny," Tony started, but was cut off by a head-slap from Gibbs.

**Thwack**!

Gibbs head slapped Tony on the back of his head. "Alright, let's get moving, Now!" he roared. "I want to be at the crime scene two minutes ago!" he yelled.

"Got it, Boss," Ziva responded.

McGee was grabbing the rest of his gear when Tony yelled across the room,

"Come on, Probie! We're going to be even later than we already are! What's taking you so long, McTardy?"

"I'm on my way right now!" McGee answered. As he grabbed the rest of his gear, he counted the different nicknames that Tony had called him so far this morning.

"Let's see… I've been called Probie at least five times, McGiggles is a new one, what else… oh, there's McTardy as well! How could I forget that?" McGee sighed. "When will Tony ever stop calling me those stupid nicknames?"

As McGee thought about his nicknames, he rushed down the NCIS headquarters' stairs instead of taking the elevator. The more he thought about the names Tony had called him, the more irritated he became. But at the same time he became irritated, he realized that he had an attachment to the names that Tony called him. It was like Tony called him those names in a brother-like fashion instead of in a mean, bullying way. But those names, those words, still hurt McGee sometimes worse than physical pain.

"Come on, stop thinking about nicknames now. I've got to clear my mind and focus on the new case right now!" McGee mentally chided himself.

As he finished his last sentence, he arrived at the garage and found that Gibbs, Tony and Ziva were already waiting for him.

"Gee, McTardy, when will you ever stop being so late?" Tony taunted.

Ouch. That hurt, once again. "Tony just won't stop calling me those names now, will he," thought McGee. "It's even worse now that he called me that in front of Gibbs and Ziva," he thought. This day was getting worse by the minute.

"What took you so long, Probie?" Gibbs asked.

Great. Just great. Now Gibbs is calling me names!" thought McGee.

"I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator," McGee told everyone. "I'm sorry that I kept you waiting! I honestly didn't mean to do that." He said with utmost sincerity in his voice.

"_Actually, I got down here 30 just 10 seconds before you did_," Tony thought, but didn't say that aloud. Instead, he decided to tease McGee some more.

"Oh, so you're trying to work out some more instead, McFlubber? So that you will lose some more of that fat?" Tony jeered. He didn't mean to say that out loud, but the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. After he finished that sentence, he realized that he had gone too far. One glimpse at McGee's face was enough to tell him that in an instant.

McGee looked down quickly to hide the blush that was creeping upon his face and headed towards the back of the van. He tried not to take Tony's words to heart, but he couldn't avoid doing so this time. Those words were the worst words that he had heard that morning, aside from Gibbs' lecture. Did Tony still think that he was fat? That he was made of nothing but flubber? Those words hurt him like hell! McGee had been working out for the past year, in fact the past two years, and he had lost 23 pounds. But did Tony even bother to notice that? No! McGee couldn't believe that he was still as fat as he once was. But was he really?

Ziva watched the exchange between Tony and McGee occur. She heard the words come out of Tony's mouth and saw how hurt McGee was after hearing them. She saw him blush and try to hide it, and then head towards the back of the van. When he was out of sight, she stared coldly and venomously at Tony, who shrunk back from her gaze.

"What?" Tony asked half jokingly, but could no longer play a cool approach. He had to admit that he had gone a little too far with his words that time.

"Did you really have to say that, Tony?" Ziva asked in a cold, steely voice. "Can't you see how much that hurt McGee?" she asked with venom in her voice. "I can't believe that you said that Tony, well, actually, I can. I will tell you this now so that you never forget it- if you ever hurt McGee again by saying those cold, thoughtless and cruel words that you just said, then I will personally come after you with my pen and a stapler," she threatened.

Tony gulped. He could tell that Ziva meant what she said, and that was not an idle threat.

"Okay, so I went a little too far that time, and I know it," he responded.

"A _little?_" Ziva exclaimed. "That was way too far, Tony!"

"Okay, okay, I know!" Tony snapped. "I'll apologize to him later," he replied.

"You'd better," Ziva threatened once more, "or else."

Gibbs saw the whole exchange take place between Tony and McGee, and then Tony and Ziva. He sighed. Today was not the day for arguments between his agents. He decided that he wouldn't interfere in his agents' affairs, and that instead he would let them work it out in their spare time. But right now, they had a case to work on.

"Alright, enough you two," Gibbs said in a low growl. "We have a crime scene to investigate, so let's get moving, Now!" he roared.

"Yes, Boss," both Tony and Ziva answered in unison.

When Gibbs looked around for McGee, he saw that he was already in the van, waiting for them. How ironic was it that at first, they had been waiting for McGee, but now, McGee was waiting for them.

As Tony and Ziva entered the van along with Gibbs, McGee opted to sit in the back so that way he could avoid direct contact with Tony. Tony seemed to understand, so he let McGee wander in the back until he reached a seat that was located as far away from Tony as possible.

McGee sighed. He was still replaying Tony's hurtful words in his head, along with the events that had occurred earlier than morning. Today was not going to be a good day.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> And so we finish Chapter 4! It looks like I'm going to make this story longer than I had originally thought, so I want to say thank you for your patience in advance and don't worry! More action should come in the next few chapters! Thanks again for the wonderful, encouraging reviews, and Happy Easter!


	5. Probie Mistakes

**Disclaimer**: I have a purple-polka dotted cow that can fly and I live in cotton candy clouds. Nope! Just kidding! I don't own a purple cow that can fly, and I most certainly do not own any of the characters or anything that has to do with NCIS!

**Author's note**: Hello again, everybody! Here's Chapter 5! It's a little more intense, but everything including the little details are important to the plot. I hope that you enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

Probie Mistakes

When the team finally arrived at the crime scene, McGee had cooled off a bit. He was still thinking about Tony's hurtful words, but he tried to clear his mind so that he could focus on the case in front of him now.

"So what've we got?" Gibbs asked as he approached Ducky.

Ducky started up from the patch of grass that he was kneeling at where he was examining the corpse.

"It looks like this young Jane Doe here was killed approximately three hours ago, due to someone stabbing her in the chest" Ducky said. "And by the looks of it, she was murdered by the same sick person who murdered our John Doe four days ago."

McGee could hear Gibbs swear under his breath.

"So that sick person who killed this woman here is the same person that we've been trying to find over the last week?" Ziva asked Ducky.

"It would appear to be so," Ducky answered for her.

"So that means that we have twice as much work to do now than when we did before? You've got to be joking me!" Tony exclaimed out loud to no one in particular with a groan in his voice.

Ducky nodded his head while Gibbs glared menacingly at Tony.

"This isn't a joking matter, Tony," Ziva replied.

"You got a problem with that, DiNozzo?" Gibbs threatened.

"No," Tony replied. "I was just expressing my opinion about how much I…" he trailed off, stopping himself from saying anything else from the looks that everyone else was giving him.

"I…never mind." He finished.

"Good," Gibbs said, then turned his head away from Tony to look at the young female's corpse in front of him.

"This just means that we'll have to work twice as hard as we've already been working so that we can find the murderer faster and prevent another death like this one from occurring," McGee spoke out loud.

Ziva stared at McGee along with Tony and Gibbs for a minute.

Ducky added, "That's a good point that you've brought up there, Tim." Then he went back to work examining the body that was laid in front of him.

Everyone else went back to their normal routines, looking for clues, bagging evidence, and McGee went about his own way, snapping pictures.

As McGee was pacing along the ground, snapping photos of the crime scene where the Jane Doe was assumingly murdered, McGee caught a glimpse of red on the grass in front of him. When he knelt down and examined it further, he realized that it was blood. When he scanned the ground for any more possible bloodstains, he found that smaller drops of blood were scattered across the ground in different places, forming a trail. He called out to Tony.

"Hey Tony! Boss! Come over here for a moment! I think I may have found something."

"Finally," Gibbs muttered just loud enough under his breath for McGee to hear.

"What is it now, Probie?" Tony asked with an annoyed tone of voice. "Can't you see that I'm busy collecting evidence?"

When McGee glanced over his shoulder, he could see that Tony was doing absolutely nothing but staring at the dead Jane Doe in front of him, while trying to talk to Ziva, who was obviously occupied trying to assist Gibbs.

"I've found a trail of blood!" McGee yelled at Tony trying to gain his attention, along with his boss's attention.

The result was instantaneous.

"You've found _what_, McGee?" Gibbs asked, marching over to the spot where McGee was busying himself examining the blood trail. Tony and Ziva soon joined him in hot pursuit, heading towards McGee.

"I said that I think I may have found something," McGee replied, a little annoyed that Gibbs and Tony didn't take him seriously enough earlier. "It's a trail of blood, which I suspect belongs to the Jane Doe," he finished.

"No, really," Tony said mockingly.

"Really," McGee automatically answered before he could stop himself.

Tony just stared at him like he was an idiot, and then shook his head.

"Call Ducky and Palmer over here," Gibbs ordered Ziva, who did so immediately.

"Where do you think it leads?" McGee asked out loud.

"There's only one way to find out," Gibbs answered, "and you're going to do that for us, McGee" he said, or more like threatened McGee.

"Me? But I…why me?" McGee asked Gibbs with a look of fear and confusion on his face.

"Because you found the trail, and you're the first one to have found a lead this week," Tony answered, only to receive a head smack from Gibbs.

**Thwack!**

"That's not entirely true, McGee, but you're going to follow the trail because you're going to listen to my order without complaint, now isn't that right, McGee?" Gibbs threatened.

McGee sighed out loud. "Yes, Boss," he replied.

"Alright, good. Now get moving!" Gibbs shouted the last part, nearly scaring McGee out of his skin. "We'll be right behind you," Gibbs finished.

"Just remember not to trip or step on any of the evidence," Tony teased.

"Yeah, yeah, I think I know not to do that already," McGee argued back.

"Are you sure, Probie? Don't you remember last time when you messed up the evidence on the trail?" Tony continued to harass McGee.

"Yes, I'm certain Tony, now would you please just drop it?" McGee pleaded, annoyed at everything Tony was doing to give him a hard time.

"Ooh, a little touchy now, aren't we? I think that we can… OW!" Tony yelled, turning his head to face Gibbs who had just head slapped him again for the fourth time today.

"What was that for?" Tony whined. Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Just drop it, DiNozzo," Gibbs commented as he trudged behind McGee.

As McGee continued to carefully follow the trail of blood, cautiously watching where he stepped, he couldn't help but notice that the trail was leading deeper and deeper into the woods. As he continued further ahead, the voices from his team were fading behind hem. Finally, the trail of blood came to a stop after about ten minutes' worth of hiking.

McGee stopped and looked around. There wasn't any more of the trail of blood to follow. It had lead him to a ledge in the middle of the forest, then stopped abruptly. As he paced around slowly, trying to find more clues, he heard Tony and the rest of the team catch up to him.

"So what've you got for me, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"I can't tell yet," McGee answered. "This is where the trail stops," he said, looking over the ledge of the moss-covered ground.

"So it looks like you've found a dead end," Tony said with an exasperated expression on his face. "Ten minutes' worth of hiking through the wilderness for this? A dead end?" Tony started to make gestures with his hands in the air.

"This isn't fair! I mean, how does this trail of blood help us find the murderer?" he continued, clearly annoyed that there wasn't anymore of a trail to follow.

"I think… I think that…I think that it might have originated from down there," McGee spoke slowly, as if trying to gather all of his thoughts. As he closed his eyes and tried to contemplate everything that he had seen so far, Tony inched closer and closer to McGee until he was standing right next to him.

"Come on, we need more than that, Probie!" Tony stated. Ziva chimed in as well.

"Tony's right, McGee," she said. "We need more information."

"Well? Do you have anything more to say about the trail, McGee?" Gibbs inquired while staring at McGee with his piercing steely blue eyes.

"I'm pretty certain that the trail started from way down there," McGee answered, and with a moment's hesitation, added even further, "but the only way that we can find that out is if someone goes down the slope here to investigate."

"Well, that shouldn't be so hard to do," Tony was saying as he walked right up to McGee then faced the rest of the team as if to gain all of their attention. "Probie right here can do it for us," he stated.

While Tony had been moving closer to McGee, McGee had cautiously taken a few steps away from Tony and inadvertently towards the ledge. At first he didn't know where he was backing up, but by the time he had finished, it was too late. He was only one foot away from falling over the ledge and downhill. As Tony kept babbling to the rest of the team, McGee tried to interrupt by calling out Tony's name, so that he could gain his attention and move inwards towards safety.

"Tony," he whispered, fearful that if he spoke in a voice too loud he would fall off the ledge. Tony didn't respond. The rest of the team didn't seem to notice either.

"Tony," McGee tried again, this time speaking a little louder than before. He caught his breath as his foot started involuntarily trembling from the lack of movement. Still, he had no luck.

"Tony!," McGee tried yelling, only to be ignored by Tony, who was busy gesturing to the rest of the team and talking about how McGee would be a perfect choice to investigate further downhill.

"As I was saying, McGee should investigate because he was the one who brought us to this dead end," Tony was arguing to Gibbs and Ziva while Ducky and Palmer were staring at him but only listening half-heartedly. They were all brought out of their trance by a sharp yell of "TONY!" that came from McGee.

"What, Probie?" Tony yelled at McGee, irritated that he had been interrupted once more. As he turned around to face McGee, he felt his shoulder bump into another shoulder with a hard force.

When he had fully turned around, he was surprised to see that it was McGee that he had bumped into. But what scared him at first was seeing how close to the ledge he was, then seeing how far he had forced McGee to back up. As he paused to stare at McGee, time froze. Tony had bumped into McGee with just enough force to push him off balance. Tony froze along with the rest of the team when he saw McGee wobble back and forth twice, trying to regain his sudden loss of balance, but McGee couldn't regain what he had lost. His foot collapsed and his knees buckled as his body leaned over the ledge. He tried to stop himself, but he couldn't make it in time. A look of sheer panic flashed in his eyes as he shouted out Tony's name again, and then fell over the ledge.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry that I'm leaving you on a cliff hanger, but I'll try to publish Chapter 6 tomorrow. I hope that you enjoy! Thanks again for the reviews. More are always welcome!


	6. Ducky's Wisdom

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters from the show NCIS. (Although I wish I did) :D Anyways, NCIS and its characters belong to CBS.

**Author's Note:** hello! Welcome Back! I am soooo sorry for leaving everyone on a cliffhanger (No pun intended) last night! That wasn't my intent, but we had a black out before I could upload anything else (including Chapter 6) onto the computer. Anyways, I think that you will enjoy Chapter 6! I am very thankful for the reviews that everyone has posted. Reviews are more than welcomed, and I love to read them! You guys are the best! Thank you for reading my story, and I hope that you enjoy the next chapter!

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><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

Ducky's Wisdom

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><p>From the last chapter:<p>

"_What, Probie?" Tony yelled at McGee, irritated that he had been interrupted once more. As he turned around to face McGee, he felt his shoulder bump into another shoulder with a hard force. _

_When he had fully turned around, he was surprised to see that it was McGee that he had bumped into. But what scared him at first was seeing how close to the ledge he was, then seeing how far he had forced McGee to back up. As he paused to stare at McGee, time froze. Tony had bumped into McGee with just enough force to push him off balance. Tony froze along with the rest of the team when he saw McGee wobble back and forth twice, trying to regain his sudden loss of balance, but McGee couldn't regain what he had lost. His foot collapsed and his knees buckled as his body leaned over the ledge. He tried to stop himself, but he couldn't make it in time. A look of sheer panic flashed in his eyes as he shouted out Tony's name again, and then fell over the ledge._

And now the New chapter Begins!

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><p>A sudden deathly silence fell over the group. Then, everyone started yelling at once.<p>

"McGee!"

"Tim!"

"Probie!"

"Timothy!"

Gibbs, Ziva, Tony, Palmer and Ducky all yelled out at once as they rushed to the end of the ledge. This couldn't be happening. Why hadn't they noticed the danger before?

Ziva rushed to the end of the ledge as fast as she could and went as far as she could without putting herself in danger. She was close enough to be able to just reach her head over the ledge and look down the hill covered in green vines and plants and trees and rocks below. She was concerned for McGee now.

The actual slope wasn't too steep, but it was completely covered with moss and rocks and leaves and small plants. The slope finally stopped after about 70 yards downhill. So while it wasn't life threatening, the hill made it nearly impossible to stop rolling down. The good thing was that the moss covered most of the rocks, making the ground safer and softer for McGee.

Gibbs swore underneath his breath as he looked down the hill and saw the obvious path that his agent had fallen down through. How could one agent get into so much trouble in one day? How could his agent, Timothy McGee, cause so many pointless delays in one morning? Cripes, it wasn't even quarter after ten yet! Still, he was somewhat worried for his agent.

Tony started kicking himself mentally. He was worried for his teammate, his partner's condition as of right now, as he heard the continuous sounds of Timothy McGee crashing into plants and rocks. It would have been almost comical if it wasn't causing another delay. Leave it to McGee to make a stupid mistake when on a case.

Ducky stared down at the bottom of the hill, scanning for any sign of McGee, until his eyes noticed something that was black and reflected in the sun. At first he didn't know what it was, but then he realized that it was McGee's camera. And if he could see McGee's camera, then McGee had to have landed somewhere close by. When he continued to search the bottom of the hill, he finally found who he was looking for.

"Aha! There he is!" Ducky yelled at the rest of the team, all who turned and looked at him. "He's down there, lying next to that tall maple tree," Ducky finished.

Everyone's eyes turned to look at where McGee lay. Ziva sharply inhaled then exhaled her breath. Tony let out a breath of relief, but it stopped when he realized just how nervous McGee had made him feel for his partner's safety moments ago. Gibbs could only look down at McGee not knowing what he felt.

When McGee had started to fall down the ledge, at first he was in too much panic to think clearly. He winced as his ribs rolled across a hidden rock, mentally noting that he was going to have a nasty bruise there later. Then his Boy Scout survival training kicked in. The first thing that he had to do was stop or slow down his fall by positioning himself in a way that would make it hard to roll down hill even further than he already was.

McGee tried to stop rolling, but he had gained too much momentum and couldn't stop his rapid descent downhill. Then he tried to dig his heels into the ground, which proved to be a wise idea. That slowed him down some, but he could still slow himself down even more by trying to grasp something that would break his fall. As he reached out with his right arm, his fingers caught a hold on a tree root. He grabbed the root even tighter and reached out with his left hand, and then he felt his body stop moving downhill. But what he wasn't expecting was the sudden jerk that the rest of his body pulled on him when he stopped his body's momentum. Pain seared through his shoulders temporarily as gravity pulled on the rest of his body, trying to bring him even further downhill. But fortunately for him, it soon faded and ebbed away.

Slowly but surely, he started to inch his way closer to the base of the tree. When he had reached the base of the tree trunk safely, he allowed his body to collapse and blacked out.

Ziva saw everything take place and was still concerned for her friend. He would be mighty sore the next morning. Although he didn't seem to be too badly wounded, she didn't want to take any chances, and carefully and cautiously started to descend down the steep hill.

Gibbs and Tony saw what Ziva was doing and soon followed in her lead. Ducky and Palmer quickly followed in pursuit. Ziva was worried that McGee might have been seriously injured but those thoughts disappeared when she saw McGee sit up.

McGee opened his eyes slowly. He felt like he had been run over by a semi truck. As his vision cleared, he started to sit up. His mind was foggy. What had happened? As he took in his current location, his memory slowly returned to him. He had been trying to warn Tony when Tony had accidentally bumped into him and knocked him off balance. Then he remembered falling down the slope and finally, he remembered where he was.

As he looked up, he saw Ziva rushing down the slope towards him. He could tell that she was very concerned. As he tried to stand up, he called out to her, "I'm okay!" and mentally added to himself, "I think."

Tony was more than relieved to hear McGee's voice. He had been worried for McGee but now he knew that if he was standing, then he must be alright. He couldn't wait to give him a hard time about this now!

As he waited for the rest of the team to meet up with him at the base of the maple tree, McGee couldn't help but notice that there was blood lying at the base of the tree. McGee started to panic, thinking that it was his own, when he realized that he wasn't bleeding. So that could only mean one thing- that it belonged to the trail of blood that he had been trying to find earlier!

By this time, the others had caught up to him. McGee could tell that Ziva and Ducky and Palmer were all concerned for him, but he couldn't tell with Tony, or especially Gibbs.

"Are you alright, McGee?" Palmer was the first person to ask, knowing that it was a stupid question.

"I think so," McGee replied, "but my shoulders are _very_ sore and I know that I'm going to wake up with some lovely bruises tomorrow," he added, trying to relieve some of the tension that was in the air.

Ziva looked at McGee once more with concern in her eyes but then told him, "I'm glad to see that you're alright. Are you sure that you are once more as fit as a violin?"

McGee laughed gently and then replied, "Yes, I'll be fine, and it's _"as fit as a fiddle"_, Ziva, not _as fit as a violin_."

Ziva smiled briefly then waited for instructions while Ducky started talking to McGee.

Ducky nodded his head after hearing McGee's response. "Why don't you let me take a look at you, Timothy, and we'll know for sure," he suggested.

McGee willingly obliged. Before he allowed Ducky to examine his body for broken bones, however, he pointed out the fact that he had found the rest of the trail.

"I was right. The trail of blood does originate from somewhere in this area down here," he pointed out. "See right here at the base of this tree? I think that it continues in a straight path down that way," he finished, pointing towards his left.

Gibbs nodded after looking into McGee's eyes and then said, "Alright. Are you sure that that's the right way to follow?"

McGee nodded his head up and down. "Yes, I'm 100 percent positive." On the inside, he was a little annoyed that Gibbs didn't ask how he was doing or even acknowledge that he was worried for him. He was also a little disappointed to hear Gibbs question his logic, or question his judgment when the answer was right before his eyes. But still, he had a case to work on, and he could focus on Gibbs' comment later.

As Tony and Gibbs and Ziva went in a separate direction following the rest of the trail, McGee stayed behind to catch his breath. What a day so far.

While McGee was catching his breath, Ducky asked Palmer, "Jimmy , would you be so kind as to head back to the van and grab my medical supplies bag for me, please?"

"Oh! Right! Umm, I can do that. I'll be back in a jiffy," Palmer stuttered, then started hiking back the way that the team had come.

"Thanks,… Ducky," McGee said slowly still trying to catch his breath. He wanted to thank Ducky for the distraction that would give him a moment in private with the elder Medical Examiner.

"It's not a problem at all," Ducky replied, "And you're more than welcome. I figured that you could use a moment's privacy with me," he finished.

"You're absolutely… right, Duck," McGee paused for a breath. "I didn't want to look as weak as I already am right now in front of the others, especially Gibbs. And Tony. I already know that Tony's going to give me one hard heck of a time teasing me about this," he finished with a lopsided sarcastic half smile on his face.

"You don't have to be brave in front of me, you know," Ducky told McGee silently when everyone completely out of sight.

"My sincere thanks again, Ducky," McGee said even more quietly that time. "Can I be honest with you, though?"

"Why most certainly. I'd prefer that you'd be straight forward honest with me now, McGee, because don't think for an instant that I don't know that you're in pain. I would know if you were lying anyways. That was quite a fall you took, and I think that we have Tony to thank for that," Ducky reassured McGee with a soft pat on his back.

"Now, why don't you start from the beginning and tell me how you feel," Ducky told Tim.

"Okay, here goes, Ducky. You're the one person that I can be honest with without making a bad impression or giving away another reason to tease me about. Anyways, if you want to know the truth, then here it is- everything hurts. I mean, my shoulders are very sore, but then again, what's not sore? _Everything's_ sore, and my head is really giving me a hard time with a nasty headache," McGee paused when Ducky chimed in.

"Probably a migraine," Ducky said automatically while he continued to listen to McGee speak out loud.

"And on top of that, I know for certain that I'm going to have some really colorful and nasty bruises tomorrow morning," McGee concluded. "I don't mean to complain, Ducky, but everything hurts, and I'm really tired, and I just want to go back to bed."

Before Ducky could give his own opinion and diagnosis, McGee started talking again, but this time he started to speak in frustration and despair.

"But it's not like I'm going to be able to do that tonight anyways," Tim said. He watched as Ducky paused what he was doing, and then shared eye contact with him. McGee could see the encouragement in Ducky's blue eyes, but he could also see some concern. Ducky nodded his head at him encouragingly, as if beckoning him to continue with what he had to say.

"I mean, I've got three long, detailed reports that need to be written up tonight and submitted to the Director's office by tomorrow morning, and on top of that I need to find a lead for this case! No, change that, these _two_ cases now!" McGee exclaimed out loud.

"How does he expect me to be able to type up the reports for three different departments and work on the case at the same time? How can I possibly work on two different things at once? How come Tony and Ziva don't have nearly as much work as I do this week? I mean, I'm not complaining about working, Ducky, because if this were any other week or if I was under normal circumstances rather than where I am right now, then I'd be fine! I'd stay behind in the office and work into the evening, or even the morning if I had to, just to get those assignments done on time. But I just can't do that this week!" McGee let out the last sentence with an exasperated sigh.

"Gibbs needs me to find another lead for these cases by today, and if I don't, then I might as well quit my job! Gibbs wouldn't even listen to me this morning! I'm afraid that he'd fire me on the spot, Ducky! He probably wouldn't even let me speak back to him or defend myself or at least explain to him just how hard I've been trying to find a lead. He'd yell at me once again, and then fire me on the spot! This is the longest time that it has ever taken me to find a lead, and this is the first time since I've worked on Gibbs' team that I can't find a lead! I've tried looking all week for every possible clue, for any minor suggestion or detail that seems out of place and I just can't find anything. I've searched almost every corner I can think of when it comes to cyberspace, and still! Nothing is coming up! Gibbs is furious with me, and he was right when he yelled at me this morning! I've failed! I've tried so hard, Ducky, but yet I've failed!" McGee was on the verge of going into hysterics but one look from Ducky told him that he needed to continue and let his emotions come running out from inside.

McGee calmed down a little.

"I've already inadvertently made Gibbs mad at me today, _once_ for being late to work when I was trying to help another person in need, and _twice_ for falling for that stupid prank that Tony pulled on me involving my computer's network cable, and now this! I don't know how I did it, and I most certainly didn't mean to do it, but somehow I've made Gibbs yell at me, twice, and even worse yet, I've disappointed him. I've failed him and the rest of the team! Oh, what can I do, Ducky, what can I do?" Tim muttered the last sentence under his breath just softly enough that it was loud enough for Ducky to hear it, but barely.

"Oh, Tim, no wonder you're so stressed out! You have every right to be tired and you have every right to want to go back to bed. I think that this case is becoming a nightmare to everyone, and that would mean Jethro in particular." Ducky reassured McGee.

"Now I need to know- have you been getting any sleep at all, this week?" Ducky asked McGee.

"Well…no, not really," McGee replied. "For the last few nights, I've been getting to bed super late."

"And would you mind specifying exactly just how late "super late" is for you, McGee?" Ducky questioned.

"Well, you see, on Monday I stayed behind at the office working on the case until twelve, and I got home around quarter after one. "

"Then, on Tuesday, I had to attack several possible leads that Abby gave to me from different angles and see if they got me anywhere, but they didn't, and so I stayed behind once more until one."

"Then, on Wednesday, Gibbs was really annoyed that I didn't have any leads for him yet, so I decided to work until I found one, or until my eyes couldn't handle the reflection from my computer screen anymore. So on Wednesday, I stayed behind after everyone else had left until 2:30. And I got home around 3:45, so I was only able to sleep for less than two hours."

"As for yesterday, Gibbs was pretty pisssed off that I still hadn't found anything, so he made me stay behind until he had finished working. That was around 11:30, I'm guessing, but I decided that I would try once more to find a lead but despite my previous attempts, I got nowhere. So last night, I went home around 2:00 and fell asleep around 3:30. And it looks like I'm going to be doing the same thing once again tonight, because I still haven't found any clues." McGee finished, with his head tucked down in shame.

Ducky was speechless. He couldn't speak for a moment; his mind was too busy trying to take in the full realization of what he'd just heard. Based on what Timothy McGee had just told him, he had stayed behind at the office in the NCIS Headquarters even after everyone had left and he hadn't left until oh-dark-thirty every single evening, or morning. There was no way that Timothy could have possibly received the necessary amount of sleep that a full grown adult male needed every week.

Still shocked, Ducky asked McGee, "Does Gibbs know about this?"

McGee shook his head. "No," he replied, "Not yet. And I think that it would be better if he didn't know," McGee added.

"Can we keep this a secret between you and me, please, Ducky? Please?" McGee pleaded.

"If that's what you want," Ducky promised to the young man who was standing in front of him. Ducky was amazed at the measures Tim was willing to take in an attempt to please his boss, Jethro.

"Thank you," McGee replied, making direct eye contact with Ducky.

"You're more than welcome, Timothy, but I highly suggest that you tell Jethro about this at some point soon," Ducky recommended. "And I also highly suggest that you go home early tonight, and get some well deserved rest. By the looks of it and from what you've told me, it would really do you some good."

McGee nodded his head in agreement. Then he spoke to Ducky in a relieved voice, "Thank you, Ducky. I didn't mean to make you listen to all of my stress and fears and worries and thoughts about my life, but it was getting to be too much for me to be able to handle. I'm sorry that I made you listen to all of that."

"Nonsense, Timothy! I won't have any of that apologizing nonsense. I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed and stressed to the point where one has to let it out. And I'm honored that you allowed me to listen to you and I'm honored to know that you trust me to keep your secret safe. So please don't be apologizing to me, Timothy. You are a very kind, hard-working, diligent, loyal, compassionate and talented young man, and don't you ever believe for one second that you are a failure! Now, I want you to rest reassured that I will have a chat with Jethro later on this evening in regards to ho he treated this morning. And also, Timothy, you are worth too much to us a team that we would ever allow you to be fired by Jethro, or anyone else for that matter." Ducky stressed the last sentences out loud, hoping that McGee would catch his drift.

"Do you really think so?" McGee asked Ducky with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Yes, Timothy, I believe that with all of my heart. Now, let's take a good look at you so that we can find out what's wrong. Did I ever tell you about that story when I was younger and I met this wonderful yound woman who came seeking help for her dog…" Ducky trailed off as he launched into telling one of his famous stories again.

McGee smiled. He was very thankful to know Ducky as a person, as a colleague, but he was especially grateful to know him as a friend. Ducky's words encouraged him to face the rest of the day with a smile, and McGee was comforted to know that the rest of the team wouldn't allow him to be fired from his job. But above all else, he was glad to know that there was someone who cared about him.

"Thanks, Ducky," he whispered. There was something to be thankful for today after all. And who knew? Maybe things would get better as the rest of the day progressed. There was only one was to find out.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> And so we finish chapter 6! I hope that you guys liked it! I figured that McGee could use some encouragement and who else but Ducky would be just the right guy to give it to him? I might have Abby give McGee some encouragement later on in this story. Anyways, I apologize for the cloff hanger last time! And thank you for the reviews. I love to read them, and they give me inspiration!

Until the next chapter!


	7. Palmer's opinions and McGee's Friendship

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to NCIS. The characters and everyone belong to the awesome NCIS show on CBS!

**Author's note:** hello everyone! I'm really sorry that I haven't updated any sooner, but last week was total chaos. We had some unexpected company arrive at our house without warning for four days. Really nice people, but free time was scarce. Anyways, thanks for the reviews. if you have time I would LOVE it if you left a review, and I hope that you enjoy Chapter 7!

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><p><span>Chapter 7<span>

Palmer's Opinion and McGee's friendships

By the time that Jimmy Palmer had arrived near McGee and Ducky's location in the forest, Palmer could hear McGee's voice rising in volume talking about his thoughts and concerns about his day so far. Palmer knew that he could continue walking towards the two and interrupt them while they were in the midst of talking with each other, but he figured that that would have been a very rude and impolite thing of him to do, just barging in on them when they were in the middle of a private conversation. He also figured that McGee needed someone to talk to who would listen to him without interrupting and someone who he could trust. And Palmer realized that just like he would have done, McGee trusted Ducky and confided his most personal conversations with him.

So Palmer decided not to interrupt the two of them while they were both still talking and instead decided that he would listen in on their conversation. He wasn't trying to eavesdrop; he was just trying to listen to how badly McGee's day had been so far, and think of some ways that he could relieve McGee from some of his stress. He knew that Ducky would be thinking of doing the same thing while he listened to McGee- they were both trying to find ways to make McGee's day better than it already was. They were trying to find a way to make up for the bad parts of McGee's day so far.

"Leave it to Ducky to be a good listener," thought Palmer. Palmer had a very special relationship with the elderly medical examiner on Gibbs' team. Dr. Mallard, or "Ducky" as he was known to everyone else on the team, was someone much more than just Palmer's supervisor. To Palmer, Ducky was his teacher, his mentor, his closest colleague, one of his role models and a dear, dear friend. Palmer had often wondered how lonely and terrible his life would be like without Ducky there to guide and teach him and comfort and listen to him when he needed it.

While listening to McGee and Ducky talk to each other, Palmer stood against a tree and thought about McGee's relationships with everyone on the team.

Palmer figured that McGee felt the same way with Ducky that he did. Although he had a different relationship with Ducky than McGee did, the bonds between the three of them- Ducky and Palmer, Ducky and McGee, and finally Palmer and McGee- remained the same. Palmer liked to think of McGee as more of a friend rather than a colleague. Palmer knew that McGee thought the same way of him- Palmer was a more of a friend rather than just a colleague. But then again, with the exception of Gibbs and the insufferable DiNozzo, McGee considered everyone on the team one of his friends. And what amazed Palmer the most was that McGee had a different special relationship with each of his friends.

For Ziva, McGee had built a relationship that had been based on trust; one that had grown stronger ever since he had traveled around the world with Tony and Gibbs to avenge her supposed death. It wasn't a romantic relationship like it had been with Abby at one point; instead, it was something more of a close friendship he shared with her. The bonds that he had with her now had remained the same as they had been before she left but had tripled when she returned from her imprisonment overseas and came back to work at NCIS as an American Citizen. No longer was she "on loan from Mossad". Now, she was an American citizen who worked as a full-time field agent for NCIS on Team Gibbs with her friends, including McGee. Palmer noticed that McGee truly cared for Ziva as a close friend and he cared for her like he cared for his sister, which was saying a lot.

Tony was a different matter. McGee wasn't really friends with Tony DiNozzo, but he wasn't an enemy with him either. McGee and Tony were frenemies- not the best of friends, yet at the same time they weren't complete hate-each-other's-guts enemies. Palmer noticed that the relationship that McGee had with DiNozzo was a mild love/hate relationship. Tony would give McGee the hardest of times at work with his constant teasing and continuous pranks, but McGee never became mad or let his temper explode and instead let the names and pranks slide away from his frustration. Although he wasn't perfect at it, for most of the times Tony knew when to back off from his fun and give his "Probie" a break. Occasionally, though, Tony would go too far with his names and constant badgering of McGee like he had done this morning. McGee didn't consider Tony to be his best friend, but he respected Tony as his partner and thought of him as his teacher. Although Tony's constant nicknames like "McGoo" and "Probie" and "McFlubber" would drive him nuts some days, McGee had to think that Tony was the best partner he could ever work with or be paired with. McGee was willing to risk his life for Tony if need be. To Palmer, it seemed like McGee looked up to Tony as an older brother as well.

For Abby… well, although his early romantic relationship he had years ago might not have gone as well as he first hoped that it would, McGee still loved Abby deeply. McGee loved Abby as a friend and like a younger sister as well. That was all there was to it. McGee had a special connection with Abby, and he loved to visit her in the lab and spend time working with her any time he could. Abby was probably McGee's closest friend, despite all of the differences in both of their lives. Abby meant so much more to McGee than she already knew that she did.

When it came to Ducky, Palmer already knew what kind of a relationship McGee had with Ducky. Palmer shared almost the same relationship with Ducky that McGee had with Ducky. It was hard not to be friends with the lively enthusiastic elder Medical Examiner, and it would have been next to impossible not to look at the man and then smile. Ducky was a wonderful, extraordinary person who truly cared about each and every one of the members on the team and was the only person who addressed everyone by their first name. Ducky was a mentor and a teacher to McGee. He was so full of wisdom that Palmer doubted that anyone would be able to listen to all of it in a year, or ten years for that matter. Ducky was also a very kind, caring, compassionate person just like McGee was. They were both super smart, but Ducky specialized in a different field of knowledge than McGee did.

Ducky was the one person that McGee felt he could trust with any of his secrets, including the way he felt about himself and the members on the team and his work and his life at home. Ducky was a good listener. He would listen to anyone for any amount of time and then he would always have something thoughtful to say at the end of their speech. He was always encouraging, he was very smart, and somewhat lively, and above all, Ducky was a phenomenal story-teller. Ducky could make anyone smile by telling them one of his stories. It was just his personality that made McGee smile. McGee loved Ducky as much as he loved typing on his old-fashioned typewriter at home; he loved Ducky for who he was. McGee had a special relationship with Ducky, and that relationship was a leather-bound friendship. Ducky was a close, close friend of McGee's, and he always would be.

Palmer didn't know what kind of a relationship McGee had with Gibbs. He knew that McGee acknowledged Gibbs as his superior, or his boss, but other than that he didn't know anything. Palmer could only assume that McGee looked up to Gibbs even though Gibbs sometimes gave him a hard time. McGee seemed to admire Gibbs as a man with a strong will, a strong sense of determination, and as someone who wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Aside from being his boss, Palmer had no clue how McGee felt about Gibbs. Palmer decided that he would just have to wait and see.

And finally, Palmer considered what kind of a relationship McGee had with himself (Palmer). Palmer could relate to McGee- they were both science nerds and geeks. Palmer's specialty was in medical science-he was brilliant when it came to diagnosing possible causes of death or injury, but he was also somewhat skilled when it came to computers and other technology and sciences in general. McGee's specialty was in cybercrimes and computer forensics. Although he wasn't as smart as McGee was in the fields of computer forensics or cybercrimes, Palmer was still pretty smart, and he knew that McGee knew that as well. Palmer looked up to McGee as a role model in a way- McGee was super smart, he was caring and compassionate, most of the times he was kind of timid, he was gentle, he was determined and he was an amazing computer know-it-all whiz. McGee was also a geek. McGee wasn't Ducky, but he still taught Palmer something new every time he saw him.

Palmer realized that he and McGee both shared some of the same interests and they both had several traits in common. They both loved science, they were both nerds and geeks (well, McGee was more of a geek than Palmer was), and both of them were above and beyond their years' worth of knowledge when it came down to science and forensics. Whenever they had a chance, they would both participate in lengthy discussions about one type of science or technology or other topic that they found to be interesting. Whenever Palmer made a simple mistake, McGee would encourage him later that it was nothing to be ashamed of, and that accidents happened. Palmer tried to do the same for McGee whenever something that he was supposed to be working on went wrong.

Looking back on previous thoughts and memories, Palmer came to the conclusion that McGee's relationship with him was more of an underdog friendship. Although they were both smart, both McGee and Palmer seemed to be the underdogs on the team. Palmer sometimes worried about this but McGee and Ducky especially helped him feel better about that. Whatever kind of a friendship McGee had with him, Palmer was thankful for it.

As he finished contemplating those last thoughts, Palmer heard McGee finish express his concerns to Ducky whispering the last sentence. "Poor McGee," thought Palmer. Palmer knew that McGee had had a really bad beginning when he arrived at work, because he could hear Gibbs yell at him. Palmer knew that Gibbs' lecture had hurt McGee, but he didn't know that it was that bad, enough to make McGee worry about his job. That's when he decided to make his presence known as if he was just returning from the NCIS van.

Ducky was in the middle of telling McGee about the time when he helped a young woman in her thirties take her dog to the vet after it had caught a rare form of fever when Palmer arrived. Ducky paused for a moment and looked up at him and then said,

"Ah, Jimmy, so I see that you've finally returned. What took you so long?" he asked.

Palmer was curious and wanted to ask why Ducky thought that he had been gone for a long time when he decided against asking and replied instead,

"I accidently tripped on my way to the van and then it took me forever to find your bag," he lied. "I noticed something interesting that I wanted to talk to you about in private later on, perhaps I can do that on the drive back to NCIS Headquarters in our van?" Palmer hoped that Ducky would understand the hidden message in what he was asking, hoping that Ducky would catch on so that he could talk about McGee in private.

"Oh, I see," Ducky answered Palmer's awkward question after a moment's hesitation. He had a feeling that Jimmy had been in the background listening to McGee's conversation about his stress at work and his concerns for the rest of the team and for his job.

"We'll talk about whatever it is that you wanted to talk about later, Jimmy. I hope that you understand. But right now, I've got to take care of Timothy here," Ducky told Palmer, acknowledging that he understood.

"It's okay, Ducky," McGee chimed in. "It's not like I'm dying over here or anything," he half-heartedly joked.

"Yes, but still, we should probably double check your condition just in case," Palmer told McGee.

Palmer was slightly worried for McGee- he had dark circles underneath his eyes, and he also had quite a few small scrapes and bruises on his arms and torso. At least none of it was life-threatening. Still, some of those bruises were going to be sore the following morning.

"Jimmy's right, Timothy," Ducky supported Palmer. "I think that it would be a good idea if you at least allowed me to double check some of your bones for any breaks or fractures."

"Alright, I guess that's fine with me," McGee told Ducky. "And thank you, _both_ of you for your concern for me," McGee told Ducky and Palmer with sincerity in his voice. "Gibbs didn't seem too concerned."

"What?" Palmer gasped, faking shock and confusion. He already knew that Gibbs had been somewhat concerned for McGee's well-being, but he hadn't been nearly as worried for McGee as Ducky and Ziva and he had been.

"That's alright though, Timothy, because I know that you've already forgiven Jethro for his lack of concern now, haven't you?" Ducky asked McGee.

It was more of a statement rather than a question, but Ducky said it aloud because he knew that McGee had willingly forgiven Gibbs a while back. Ducky thought that McGee was giving Jethro too much of a break today- first for not yelling back after Gibbs' raging lecture, and now forgiving him for his lack of concern for his well-being. Ducky marveled at Timothy who was willing to do anything to please Jethro.

McGee looked at the side of his hands sheepishly and replied, "Yes."

"That's what I thought," muttered Ducky.

"Look out, Tony, Gibbs, and Ziva are coming back," Palmer warned Ducky and McGee.

"Anything?" McGee asked Gibbs, hoping that they had possibly found a lead by following the trail of blood to the source of where it originated from.

"No, not a single darned clue," Gibbs responded impatiently with an edge of irritation in his voice. "Not a single darn clue."

"Well, what did you find then, Jethro?" Ducky asked Gibbs, hoping to ease the tension in the air.

"Nothing!" Gibbs roared out loud, startling McGee and causing Palmer to flinch involuntarily.

Ziva stared at Gibbs with a confuzzled expression and then stared directly at McGee, saying "What Gibbs said is not true. We _did_ find a lead, I believe," she said, emphasizing the "did" part of her sentence while staring at Gibbs with a cold glare. Gibbs paid it no heed.

"What did you find?" McGee asked in a calm voice, trying to hide his irritation at Gibbs.

"We found some tire tracks at the bottom of the trail, and a dried up pool of blood, but that was pretty much it," Tony butted into the conversation before Ziva even had a chance to elaborate on her idea of a lead.

"Well, that's good to know then," Ducky addressed the rest of the group, trying to find something to be optimistic about.

"Did any of you guys take photos of the tire tracks?" McGee asked, a spark of hope in his voice.

"Well, no _duh_, Probie!" Tony taunted McGee. "That's your job, remember? Oh but wait, I don't think that you can take photos anyways because your camera, the _NCIS issued_ camera, was totaled when you decided to slide down the hill like you were a little kid at recess! So thanks to you, we can't take any photos of the evidence!" Tony replied in a taunting tone of voice.

Ziva rolled her eyes. "He only fell down the hill, Tony or should I say steep ledge, because you accidently pushed him down it!" she snapped. "So technically speaking, it's your fault that McGee fell down in the first place!"

"Alright, alright, Enough!" Gibbs yelled. He was tired of Tony and Ziva's constant bickering, and he just wanted to solve the case. So now he needed to regain control and make sure that everyone was ready to get back to work again.

"Ziva, you go back with to the van and get the spare camera from the back of the trunk. Then I want you to head down with McAccidentProne to the bottom of the blood trail and investigate further. See if you can find anymore clues," Gibbs ordered.

Ziva nodded her head twice, then stole a glance at McGee. He seemed hurt after hearing Gibbs' nicknames for him.

Tony chuckled at the names Gibbs called McGee. Then he snapped out of his laughter when Gibbs spoke to him.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked.

"Yes, boss," Tony replied.

"I want you to recover McGee's camera then bring it up to the van; then meet up with me." Gibbs ordered.

"I'm on it Boss," Tony answered, then headed off.

Gibbs watched as the members of his team went off in their own directions, then sighed.

"You could be a little less harsh on him, you know," Ducky chided Jethro.

"Who? Tony?" Gibbs asked. Ducky responded to Gibbs' answer by lifting up his head and staring, no frowning at Gibbs with a glare.

"You should know who I'm talking about, Jethro," Ducky told Gibbs in a low, slightly irritated voice. "I didn't think that I would have to remind you about this, but McGee's a human being just like you are, you know."

"Thanks, Ducky, but I really don't need to be reminded of this right now. I have a case that needs to be solved that should have been solved by Monday!"

Before Gibbs could continue any further, Ducky stopped what he was doing and then marched up to Gibbs.

"Yes you do need to be reminded of this, Jethro! It's not often that I get mad at anyone, but you are making me mad right now! Can't you see just how hard Timothy McGee has been working for the last 72 hours? Can't you see that he's not purposely trying to cause delays for this case? Timothy is a bright young man, Jethro, and I know that he's been working as hard as he can for you trying to find a lead for you and the rest of the team to follow." Ducky was really upset at this point.

"If you had been paying any attention to him whatsoever this week instead of on the case, then surely by now you would have noticed that McGee is a human being just like you, and just like you, he has made mistakes. And just like you, he is stubborn and won't take no for an answer and just like you, Jethro, he's been trying his hardest all week to find a lead, any lead for the case! But it's not his fault that he hasn't found anything! I know that Timothy has been trying his hardest all week and you should know by now just how smart Timothy truly is! If he hasn't found a lead by now, then it's not his fault."

"If you even cared about your agent, Jethro, then you would notice just how hard he's been trying to please you and just how hard he's been working. I'll bet that you haven't even noticed this yet, but Timothy McGee has worked himself to the point of exhaustion! He's been staying up for hours in the office, staring at his computer screen typing up reports on top of trying to find a lead. And you haven't noticed anything at all! You should be ashamed of yourself for a change, Jethro, because you're focusing on what doesn't matter the most. You should be concerned for McGee! He thinks that he's failed you, and that you're going to fire him on the spot back at Headquarters if he doesn't find a lead! Does that tell you why he hasn't found a lead yet?" Ducky finished in a rage.

Palmer just watched the exchange silently.

Gibbs was shocked. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. First of all, had he really made Ducky get mad? Ducky never got mad at anything, much less anyone. And secondly, had he really been so blind not to notice McGee's condition that he was in right now? Guilt came crashing upon him as he realized what a terrible boss he must have been to McGee all week. He was still shocked when he replied,

"Was I really like that this week, Ducky?"

"Unfortunately, yes you were, Jethro," Ducky answered.

"Oh…" Gibbs trailed off, realizing that he had a lot to make up for to McGee.

"I'm sorry, Ducky," Gibbs apologized, but Ducky waved it off.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to, Jethro, but it's McGee instead. I think that you've really hurt him badly this morning with your words and actions."

"Thanks, Duck," Gibbs muttered half-heartedly. He had an apology to make. If he was lucky, maybe he could catch McGee at the van. Without another word, Gibbs started off to the van, lost in the thoughts of his own mind.

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><p>And so we end Chapter 7! Hopefully everything will work out between Gibbs and McGee.<p> 


	8. Gibbs' thoughts

**Author's note:** Hello everyone! I'm sorry that it took me so long to update this chapter. This chapter features Gibbs' thoughts concerning the way that he treated McGee all week. I hope that you enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

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><p><span>Chapter 8<span>

Gibb's thoughts

Gibbs' mind was racing at full speed as he hiked back up the trail through the forest, hoping to catch McGee at the NCIS van.

Gibbs was not a man of many words. Ducky was the complete opposite. Ducky loved, absolutely loved to talk whenever he had a chance especially about a story of his own but he knew when to remain silent. Ducky was talkative, but he didn't ramble on like Abby tended to do. And Gibbs respected him for that. The one thing that Gibbs respected the most about Ducky was that everything that Ducky said had a meaning to it and every sentence was either full of wisdom or something that would make anyone smile. Ducky's words were filled with honesty and sincerity, and no one could take what he said for granted.

As Gibbs reflected on what Ducky had said to him just moments before, he realized that all of it was true. McGee was a fellow human being just like he was, and everyone- including himself- often made mistakes from time to time. But as Gibbs dwelled on that last thought further, he realized that McGee hadn't made any mistakes at all during the past week. The only crime that McGee was guilty of committing was coming into work late and then falling for one of DiNozzo's pranks again.

Gibbs chuckled to himself out loud. He grinned to himself as he remembered the look on McGee's face when his computer had locked him out after three unsuccessful tries of trying to log in. Gibbs finally had something to laugh about this week. McGee, his computer know-it-all, who had a Masters Degree in computer forensics and was an absolute geek, had finally been locked out of his computer. Of all things! That was the simplest mistake that could happen- unsuccessfully trying to log in and then being locked out as a result. And McGee of all people had made that simple mistake- that was history being made in the Headquarters of NCIS.

Gibbs knew that McGee was super smart, in fact he was most likely smart in terms of at the genius level or higher, but that didn't mean that he wasn't gullible. Gibbs smiled again, looking back on how McGee hadn't even noticed the unplugged network cable wire and remembered hearing Tony laugh out loud. McGee had fallen for the prank hook, line, and sinker! Gibbs chuckled softly to himself again. But that smile quickly faded when he recalled how he had treated his agent that morning.

Gibbs hadn't realized up until now just how harsh and cruel his words had been. Where had all of that anger and irritation come from? Well, that question was easy to answer. His anger had been directed at the current case, not the team. But looking back, Gibbs discovered to his horror that he had redirected the full fury of his anger from the unsolved case to McGee. McGee was innocent! He hadn't done anything wrong except for arrive late at work and fall for the prank that Tony pulled on him. Tony! Gibbs paused in thought for a moment as a new conclusion came to him.

The only reason that McGee hadn't been able to log onto his computer and start working right away was because he fell for one of Tony's pranks. Tony was responsible now. If Tony hadn't pulled that prank, then McGee wouldn't have had to come up to him and ask for the authorization to log into his computer.

Gibbs shook his head in frustration. For once, today, he realized that his judgment had been wrong. He had gotten angry with McGee when really he should have gotten angry with DiNozzo. It really wasn't McGee's fault, and yet he had proceeded to yell at him anyways.

Gibbs continued to shake his head in frustration as he continued to reflect on how he had treated Timothy McGee throughout the week. He had yelled at him practically everyday now, it seemed. On Monday, Gibbs had yelled at him for being late. On Tuesday, he yelled at him for not working fast enough; on Wednesday he had yelled at him just because. Gibbs realized that out of everyone on the team, McGee was the one that he piled most of his accusations on top of, and McGee was also the one person on the team that Gibbs had yelled at the most.

Then on Thursday, Gibbs had been angry that not a single lead had been found, and he thought that it was McGee's fault because he wasn't working hard enough and because most of the leads were generally found through his computer. So Gibbs had yelled at Tim in front of the rest of the team and had made him stay behind at work after everyone else, including himself, had left the office. Gibbs had left around 11:30, but he had no idea at what time McGee finally stopped working and left the office.

Then he had yelled at McGee again today… in front of the rest of the team again. Gibbs sighed out loud. To be yelled at by someone was one thing, but to be yelled at by your _boss_ in _front of_ the _rest_ of your _teammates_ and _friends_… that was even worse. It was demoralizing and it had to have been embarrassing for McGee aside from hurtful.

Once again, Gibbs was horrified to hear the words that had come out of his mouth in an angry rampage at McGee. He couldn't believe half of what he had said. First, he had criticized McGee, then questioned his experience and his intelligence, then insulted him, then questioned his intelligence once more, and questioned his role on the team. As if that wasn't enough, he proceeded to question his ability to work, he had put more pressure on him to find a lead, he had told him how disappointed he was with him in particular, and then even gone so far as to tell him that he'd done enough damage already and that he had failed. Ouch. That had to hurt. What had made matters even worse was the fact that he had yelled at McGee in front of the rest of his teammates, or his friends and colleagues. Gibbs was shocked as the full realization of what he had said came to him. How had he let his anger get out of control like that? How had those vile, cruel lie-filled words even managed to escape from his mouth?

Gibbs barely remembered the look of hurt that had come upon Tim's face. McGee's face was a world of hurt and pain. As McGee had trudged back towards his desk, Gibbs remembered seeing the usual bright, cheery optimistic spark that could always be found in his eyes die out and disappear. McGee's eyes, his bright, cheery, optimistic and expressive eyes had faded to a dull and dark grayish green, a color that Gibbs had never seen before. And his expression! McGee's expression said it all. His head was drooped and his cheeks were tainted pink from embarrassment, but the worst part of all was the look in his eyes. Gibbs briefly caught a glance of pain, despair, hopelessness, hurt and self-doubt. McGee looked as if he was a puppy that had been kicked to no end and then abandoned on a curb in the rain.

Gibbs felt really bad for treating his youngest agent like that now. He had treated McGee like dirt, that's what he had done. And he had implied that McGee had failed and that he was a disappointment and that the only reason he was on his team was because of his computer skills and his smarts. All of those were lies. How could he have been so oblivious to McGee's thoughts and emotions? How could he have treated his youngest agent like dirt every single darn day of the week? Why hadn't he noticed the dark circles caused by lack of sleep on McGee's face earlier? And why didn't he ask McGee what time he went to bed last night? Why had he allowed himself to ignore Tim's pain and hurt all week especially after telling him that he was a disappointment and had failed? Why had he allowed himself to treat McGee like a failure, like something or someone unimportant all week? Why hadn't he shown more concern when McGee plunged over the cliff, possibly leading to his death? Why hadn't he noticed McGee at all or even acknowledged his presence in a good way?

Gibbs felt overwhelmed with guilt as he thought about the cruel and heartless way he had been treating his youngest, possibly his smartest agent all week. Gibbs was ashamed. He had treated poor Timothy McGee like crap, with pure disregard and spite and anger and criticism all week. He had hurt his youngest agent severely with his harsh and thoughtless words, and he had then chosen to ignore his McGee's pain.

A sudden sense of urgency came quickly over Gibbs, as he realized that the first thing that he wanted to do was apologize to McGee for what he had said earlier. By now, it might be too late! McGee had the option of choosing not to forgive Gibbs, but deep down inside, Gibbs knew that McGee wasn't the unforgiving type. That was the last thing that McGee would most likely do. But still… the sooner he apologized to him, the better.

Gibbs winced when he remembered some of the exact words he had said to McGee just a little less than an hour ago…

"_McGee! How could you be so gullible!"_

"_Aren't you supposed to be the smart person on this team?"_

"_Do you ever think before you act, McGee?"_

"_Isn't that what you're on my team for? To be smart enough to operate that d*** piece of technology and find the leads to the case?"_

Ouch. Gibbs winced again even harder when that last sentence replayed through his mind. But there were still several sentences that were even worse.

"_You should've had something by now, d*** it!"_

"_Can't you do any better than this?"_

"_Stop delaying this case any further and get to work!"_

"_You've done enough damage already as it is today!"_

And then came the worst two sentences of them all…

"_You've **failed**, McGee! I can't be any more disappointed in you than I am right now!"_

Gibbs was silent for a good couple of minutes as he hiked up the rest of the trail. He had almost reached the NCIS van when he paused once more. It was either now or never. Gibbs actually wanted to apologize to McGee for the way that he'd treated him that morning. McGee meant more to him and the rest of the team than he would ever realize.

McGee was special, he knew that already, but that didn't mean that he shouldn't know just how important he was to the team and how useful he was not just because of his skills. Gibbs had chosen McGee for a reason. For several reasons, actually.

First, there was his determination- McGee had a strong sense of knowledge of what was wrong from right like no other that Gibbs had ever seen before, and McGee was willing to stand up for what he believed was right no matter what the cost, even if it meant more ridicule or hazing or if it meant losing his job.

Then there was his one-of-a-kind demeanor with everyone on the team- McGee was the friendliest field agent on his team. He was the first person that had accepted Ziva for who she was, and he also had enough patience to put up with Tony's endless nicknames and pranks and even hazing at times.

And finally, amongst many other wonderful qualities, McGee was patient but he was also smart. Super smart. Gibbs didn't know just how smart McGee was, but he knew that he was smart enough to have earned a Master's degree in computer forensics and cyber crimes amongst much more knowledge. But Gibbs saw a bit of himself in McGee- McGee listened to his gut, even though at times every factor was leading against it. McGee was also a man of his word. The only time that Gibbs could remember McGee telling a lie was when he was trying to prove that his sister was innocent,, not a murderer. And he had been right.

McGee was also loyal to his family. Even though he had a rocky relationship with his dad, he still loved him and put his family's needs above those of his own at times. He did the same thing for his friends, Gibbs realized. Gibbs wondered just what exactly McGee had done over the past week in his attempts to please him. That man, his youngest agent, amazed him more and more every day.

Gibbs had reached the top of the trail by now and the NCIS van was in sight. Now was his chance to apologize.

By this point in time, McGee had earned a special place in everyone's hearts on the team, including Gibbs'. And Gibbs needed to let him know just how much he meant to everyone not just because of his IQ level or skills, but because of his personality and who he was.

Hopefully he was not too late.

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><p>And so we end chapter 8! Please don't forget to review! And thank you for the reviews so far! They encourage me and inspire me to continue writing!<p> 


	9. Gibbs' apology

**Author's Note:** Hi again everyone! I'm back! I'm sorry that it took me so long to update this chapter, but I had to put some serious thought into it! In this chapter, as you can guess from the title, Gibbs apologizes to McGee, and you'll just have to read in order to find out how things turn out in the end. I hope that you enjoy! And thank you for your patience and the wonderful reviews. They make me look forwards to typing the rest of my story and reading the rest of the reviews!

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><p><span>Missing McGee Chapter 9<span>

Gibbs apologizes

After McGee had reached the NCIS van with Ziva, he let out a sigh of frustration. He was irritated that his boss, Gibbs, hadn't shown the slightest bit of concern for him when he fell down the mossy cliff.

McGee wondered if Gibbs even cared for him at all.

As if she were reading Tim's thoughts, Ziva told McGee, "He really does care about you, you know."

"Hmm?" McGee asked, trying to process through his tired and worn out brain the words that Ziva had just spoke to him.

"Gibbs." She replied, choosing to ignore his fake ignorance. "Gibbs really does care about you, just like he cares about everyone else on the team."

"Thank you, Ziva," McGee replied, not really sure what to believe.

McGee had had a bad week so far. On every single day he had been yelled at by his boss, and today he received the worst lecture from Gibbs yet. McGee remembered Gibbs' exact words that were directed at him…

"_Aren't you supposed to be the smart person on this team?_"

"_Don't you ever think before you act, McGee?_"

"_Can't you do any better than this?_"

"_You've failed, McGee! I can't be anymore disappointed in you than I am right now!_"

McGee sighed out loud again. Ziva noticed and picked up on his sigh almost immediately.

"You still don't believe me, do you?" she accused.

McGee was taken back by Ziva's sudden question, but he wasn't really surprised. He knew that Ziva would notice that he was upset about something more than just falling downhill. Leave it to Ziva and Ducky to be the only people on the team who picked up on his distress and worry for him. He was glad that she noticed his distress, though.

"It's not that I don't believe _you_, Ziva…" McGee trailed off as he tried to recollect his thoughts. "It's just that I don't know if Gibbs really cares about me or not. I mean, heck, who am I kidding? I know that he does care to some degree, but it's like I don't know to what degree he cares for me, individually. Gibbs probably thinks that I'm useless to his team now because of this mess!" he exclaimed.

"McGee! You know that's not true!" Ziva turned around and stared at McGee in the eyes.

"Gibbs is a good man, even though he can be tough to deal with sometimes or hard to listen to or obey at other times. I know he cares for us, and although you might be having a hard time believing that, I know that on the inside you know that he cares for you too. So don't you dare think that he doesn't care for you! I know he cares for a fact Tim, because he came back for me when I was in Somalia. He actually cared enough that he wanted to avenge my death! And if he hadn't cared so much, then I…" Ziva trailed off, with a look of fear on her face as her head turned to look to the side.

McGee paused from bending over to retrieve the spare camera from the back of the NCIS van. It was not often that Ziva talked about her torturous experience overseas in Somalia, and McGee immediately stopped what he was doing because he knew that it took something serious to make Ziva to talk about that experience.

"You don't have to talk about it, Ziva, if you don't want to. I don't want to force you to talk about something in the past that you don't want to relive through again," McGee reassured Ziva, walking towards her with a solemn and concerned expression on his face. He hadn't meant for Ziva to bring up her traumatic experience; that wasn't what he had meant to do at all.

"Thank you, McGee. I… I just don't want to talk about it right now…" she sighed.

"It's okay, Ziva, I think that I can understand where you were going with that. You know that you are a very close friend to me, right?"

Ziva just nodded her head and continued to fix her eyes upon McGee's as he continued talking.

"Good. I said what I said earlier because that was on my mind. I trust you Ziva, and I know that you have never broken a promise to me or anyone else on the team for that matter, so I know that what you said was true. It's just hard for me to feel like Gibbs cares about me like he does for you or Abby or Tony for that matter when he's yelling at me like he did earlier today," McGee responded.

Ziva nodded her head in sympathy.

"I do trust you, Ziva." McGee raised his eyes to look at hers. "If you say that Gibbs does care about me, then I believe you, not my own opinion." McGee finished.

Ziva glanced at him from the corner of her eyes as the smallest of smiles cracked upon her face. She nodded her head in a sign that she acknowledged what he was saying.

"Now I suspect that Gibbs himself will be coming up personally to bring us back down to the crime scene if we don't hurry up here," McGee said while smiling at the same time. He knew that Ziva was right, and that Gibbs did care for him, but he was still uncertain up to which degree Gibbs did care.

As Ziva left to start down the trail towards the crime scene once again, McGee finished grabbing his gear and started to talk to himself in his mind.

Speaking to himself mentally, McGee thought, "Well I know that I'm more than just his employee, and I'm more than just everyone's "_Probie_" by now, but who am I to the rest of the team? I know that Ziva's my friend, Ducky's another close friend and mentor to me, and Tony… well, I think that we're in a love/hate relationship with each other, and I know that he loves teasing me along with giving me a hard time but we're still friends of a kind of sort, and as for Abby…" McGee trailed off, not knowing what to think about his relationship with Abby.

"I think that Abby is…, no, I _know_ that Abby is the friendliest Goth that I've ever met, but I think that she's also a really good friend. Obviously, we don't have anything romantic going on with each other anymore like we once used to, but I think that we're still close friends. And as for Gibbs…" once again McGee trailed off, but this time he didn't hesitate for as long. He half smiled as he shook his head once in disbelief, but the smile was still there when he looked up again.

"Gibbs is my boss, but he means more to me than I originally thought. It seems that he's kind of like the "papa bear" on the team, and he really does remind me of a Grizzly bear at times." McGee chuckled at his last statement, but he continued to think about how he perceived Gibbs in his brain.

"What am I even thinking? Gibbs is a Grizzly bear? Wouldn't Tony get a kick out of that one! I mean, Gibbs can be really tough and have a nasty temper on the outside, but on the inside, he's actually a nice kind of guy. He has his soft spots just like everyone else does. I wonder if he has a soft spot for me?"

While McGee was still busy thinking to himself, absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't notice that Gibbs was standing a few feet away from where he was, watching with a smile on his face as Timothy was unloading the extra gear from the NCIS van.

Gibbs had ran into Ziva less than a minute ago when she was returning down the trail trying to find him. She asked what he wanted her to do next, and Gibbs simply replied that he wanted her to help Ducky process the crime scene at the very bottom of the ledge where Tim had fallen down. Ziva nodded her head in agreement and then continued on her way. Then Gibbs had continued to hike up the rest of the trail towards the NCIS van.

And now, here he was, watching his youngest agent babble to himself about seemingly pointless conversations.

Gibbs decided that if he needed to apologize, now was the time to do it. There would be no turning back, and he knew it. Although Gibbs knew that he would be breaking his own rule # 6 ("_Don't apologize; it's a sign of weakness._") when he apologized to McGee, he knew that it needed to be done. Gibbs wanted to make up for the way that he had been treating his youngest agent all week. So without a further a do, Gibbs slowly started walking towards McGee.

"McGee," Gibbs called Tim without any hesitation.

"This is going to be hard to do," thought Gibbs.

"I wonder what he wants with me now," McGee thought to himself, worrying about what he had possibly done wrong. "Did I mess up again?"

Tentatively McGee answered "Yes, boss?" then thought to himself once again, "I hope I don't sound too nervous. Gibbs will surely notice that's a sign of weakness."

Gibbs instantly noticed the tone of worry and anxiety with which McGee responded to his call.

"Are you done unloading your gear yet?" Gibbs asked with a threat in his voice.

"Umm, yes, actually, I am." McGee responded. "I'm sorry that it took me so long, Boss. I promise that it won't happen again. I just…"

**Thwack!**

McGee was never able to finish his sentence as Gibbs gave him a strong head-slap to the back of his head.

"What was that for?" McGee asked Gibbs, a little irritated that he had been Gibb-slapped for apparently nothing. What had he done to deserve a head-slap this time?

"Rule #6, McGee- Don't apologize, it's…"

"A sign of weakness," McGee joined Gibbs in saying the end of his rule. "I guess I needed that. Thanks, Boss." McGee finished with his eyes looking at the ground in embarrassment.

Gibbs stared at McGee in surprise. How did he know the ending to Rule #6? Oh. The answer was obvious and Gibbs was surprised that he didn't think of it sooner. Timothy McGee had probably apologized so many times in his life to him and the rest of the members on the team that Gibbs had head-slapped him too many times to count, and as a result he memorized Rule #6 completely.

Gibbs sighed. It was in McGee's nature to apologize for every mistake that he made, for everything that went wrong (even if it wasn't his fault), and for every time that something bad happened, like Kate's death, or even when the team was separated when Vance separated them. McGee was a kind, caring person like that, and he would always apologize even when it was unnecessary. Gibbs just couldn't learn to accept that. He knew he still had to teach McGee that he didn't need to apologize for everything that went wrong or every mistake that he made. McGee still had a long way to go. Gibbs sighed again.

"Listen, McGee, I didn't come here just to head-slap you for not heading to the crime scene already. I… I actually came here to apologize to you."

McGee nearly dropped the replacement camera he was holding and turned around and stared at Gibbs in shock. Gibbs wanted to apologize? To him? McGee knew that something was not right. Why did Gibbs want to apologize… (he still couldn't get that fact out of his head. It was so unusual! So bizarre) to _him_ of all people? What had Gibbs possibly done wrong that he needed to amend? And why did he want to apologize to him? McGee was dumbfounded and couldn't do anything else but continue to stare at Gibbs in the face.

Gibbs took in Timothy McGee's reaction with interest. "He must be so confused by now," he thought. Gibbs continued to watch McGee as he stopped what he was doing and stared at him in shock.

"Oh yes, he's definitely confused." Now Gibbs knew for certain that his youngest agent was mind boggled. Was he really that surprised? Apparently so. Gibbs knew that he was a human being and that he had made mistakes before, but did McGee know that? The more Gibbs thought about it, he realized that he had apologized at least once or twice to everyone on the team except for McGee. No wonder he was so confused!

When McGee realized that he was staring at Gibbs he stopped. A tinge of crimson started to run up his cheeks as he said,

"Oh… okay. I'm sorry for…oh shoot! I did it again, didn't I? I'm sorry for saying sor… Agh! Not again! Sorry! No! What I meant to say was I didn't mean to stare at you, I mean, I did, but… oh! I can't say a single thing right today, can I? You know what I'm trying to say, right?" McGee's cheeks had turned a bright shade of pink by this time, but he could do nothing to hide it.

Gibbs couldn't help but chuckle to himself when he saw just how hard of a time McGee was having, trying not to say "sorry". McGee was epically failing.

"It's alright, I know what you mean, and you don't have to apologize for doing anything." Gibbs started. "_I'm_ the one on this team that has to apologize to _you_ for all of the mistakes that I've made this week, McGee." Gibbs made sure that he emphasized the fact that he was the one who needed to apologize to McGee, and that it was not McGee who needed to apologize to him.

McGee stared at the camera he was holding but asked Gibbs,

"What do you have to apologize for? I'm the one who has made all of the mistakes this week. I mean, first I arrived late to work, then I fell for Tony's stupid prank, and finally, I fell down a cliff and broke my camera. It was NCIS's camera, actually," he said.

Gibbs was about to interrupt when McGee continued,

"But you haven't done anything wrong. You need us to find answers to this case, and we need a lead so that we can find the answers to the case and solve the crime. We need a lead first before we can find the murderer and put him in jail. But I'm the one who's the most responsible for finding the leads the leads this week, and I haven't found a single one!"

McGee suddenly realized that he was rambling on about his personal thoughts to Gibbs and stopped speaking. But Gibbs motioned for him to continue on, and so McGee continued to talk to Gibbs indirectly.

"I haven't found a single lead all week! I know that this case is a really hard one, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't have found anything by now! I mean, everyone on the team has talents, but I know that my specialty is when it comes to computers, and this is what this case is about! This case has brought leads that can only be found on the computer, but I haven't been able to find anything at all, whatsoever! And cybercrimes, or computer forensics, is the area that I excel in! In general, I can find most of the clues in cyberspace, and I generally excel in finding those clues! But for some reason, out of all weeks, this week has to be the one week where I can't find anything at all! And when I came in to work late, and when I fell for Tony's prank, I did nothing but delay the rest of the team from finding a case. I'm the one who has made all of the mistakes this week, not you, boss." McGee finished.

Gibbs grimaced and looked at his youngest agent once more. Was this truly how he felt? Gibbs felt bad for not apologizing sooner. He needed to clean up this mess between himself and his youngest agent now, and not a moment later. Gibbs walked towards McGee and placed his hand upon his shoulder, and then said,

"McGee."

"Hm? Oh, yes boss? What is it?"

Gibbs sighed. Now came the hard part. Once he had made eye contact with McGee, he looked at him and said,

"McGee, I need you to listen to me. You are not responsible for the fact that we haven't been able to find any leads on this case so far. I know that you have been working hard, but over the last week I took that for granted, and I chose to ignore your health and decided to focus on finding a lead instead. At the time, I was too upset over the young cadet's death, and I let my anger and frustration control how I felt and how I acted. You need to know that you are not to blame, and that I don't blame you for not finding a lead earlier, and that instead you should blame me. I've been taking this cast way too seriously, and for me, it's become personal. Heck, I've broken one of my own rules! Do you remember rule #10, McGee?" Gibbs asked, already knowing the answer.

"Do not get personally involved in a case," McGee responded. "But you have every right to be involved! I mean, this case really hits home, but,"

McGee was not allowed to finish his sentence because Gibbs wouldn't let him.

"Don't try and defend me, McGee. I know that this case is a really hard case to handle, but it hits home for everyone else aside from me. What I really wanted to tell you is that I'm sorry for the way that I've treated you for the last week, McGee. You are one of my finest agents, McGee, and you have no idea just how much we need you as a team, or how much I need you on our team!"

McGee paused and stared once again at Gibbs as he spoke and as his volume increased.

"You bring the best out of each and every one of us on the team, and you have patience for DiNozzo that I swear I can't find in anyone else. We need you, McGee, not just because of your professional computer skills or your degrees, no, we need you because of who you are as a person. We need you for your kind demeanor, your patience, your determination, your confidence, and for the person you are. We all need you on this team- Ducky, Abby, Ziva, Palmer, and even Tony. You are a d*** good agent, McGee, and I have no excuse for treating you like crap this week!"

McGee stared in shock as his mind fully comprehended what Gibbs was saying.

"I know that I never apologize, and that apologizing is a sign of weakness, but I need to do it now," Gibbs stated. He had a look of concern mixed with regret on his face as he continued to speak to McGee.

"I'm sorry for the way that I've treated you this week, McGee, and I want to apologize for the words that I said to you earlier this morning. And I apologize for not paying closer attention to you in general. You are more than welcome to stand up to me when you think that what I'm doing is unfair, or if you think that what I'm saying is wrong. So don't feel like I'm right all of the time, McGee, because I'm not. I know that I've treated you like crap this week, and I need to ask your forgiveness. Can you forgive me for the way I've treated you this week?" Gibbs finished, nothing but sincerity and honesty in his voice.

McGee was speechless. For once, he didn't know what to say. Gibbs was right- he had treated him like crap this week, but all of that didn't matter right now. What mattered the most to him was that Gibbs had apologized to him- and asked for his forgiveness. McGee already knew that in his heart, he had already forgiven Gibbs, but he wasn't so sure of whether he really wanted to do so now.

"But I do forgive him," McGee thought to himself. "I know that he's treated me like crap, but hey… at least he realized it! How many bosses apologize to their employees when they've made a mistake? And Gibbs never apologized. But he just did! And he apologized to me! How can I say no? I think that Gibbs really is sorry, because I can hear the sincerity in his voice. And he's promised to change his ways… I know now what I'd going to say."

Breathing in deeply, McGee looked at Gibbs and then told him,

"Thank you, boss, but truth be told… you have treated me like crap this week, and it hurt! Not just mentally or emotionally, but physically as well. I know that I've made mistakes before, and I know that I am smart when it comes down to finding clues on the computer, but that doesn't mean that I don't try harder to fix my mistakes or find new leads when leads have already been found. Up until this point, I didn't know how much you cared for me as an individual, but now… now I know just how much you do care. And Boss… I just wanted to let you know that… I forgive you. And thank you for apologizing. I think that things are going to be better now between us, and I hope that I can develop a better relationship with you, and I hope that I can get to know you better more as a friend than just my boss."

With that, McGee walked over to Gibbs and gave him a hug.

Gibbs had braced himself for the worst, but receiving a hug from McGee was the last thing that he was expecting. At first, he didn't know what to do, but then he felt his defenses slide and then he returned McGee's strong hug.

"Thank you, McGee," Gibbs responded, his voice almost nearly cracking.

"You're welcome, and thank you for having me be on your team," McGee replied to Gibbs, then broke off the hug.

For a moment, neither man spoke, until Gibbs replied, "I'm looking forwards to a better relationship, McGee. You know that my back door's always open, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I know." McGee responded.

"Alright then, let's get back to work. We have a case to solve." Gibbs spoke then headed back the trail like nothing had happened, but McGee knew better.

"Looks like today might just be a good day after all." McGee told himself. And so far, it was looking better.

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><p><strong>Author's note: I hope that everyone enjoyed that chapter! Please feel free to leave a review if you liked it or not. The feedback is greatly appreciated!<strong>


	10. Probie and Poison Ivy Problems

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone, I'm back! Totally random fact, but I just saw the Avengers movie last night and it was totally AWESOME! For those of you who haven't seen it yet, it's a must-see movie! It's totally awesome! Anyways, here is Chapter 10, which I hope that you enjoy. I am so glad that so many of you like it so far! It's really encouraging to me, and I absolutely LOVE reading the reviews! Thank you for all of your support! I hope that you enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter 10<span>

Probie and Poison Ivy Problems

As McGee trudged back down the trail, he couldn't help but wander in his own thoughts. He couldn't help but replay the events of the day that had happened earlier. First, he had stopped for that man and helped him restart his car, then he had arrived at work late, then he had been yelled at by Gibbs, and then he had fallen for Tony's prank. None of those previous events fazed him too much, except for the time when Gibbs had yelled at him and when he had been locked out of his computer.

"Ha, I guess that I really am gullible," McGee thought. He had never had any major problems with his computer, unless if it had been hacked into or if it was running slowly, but still, those kinds of problems rarely occurred. He should have noticed earlier that there was something wrong with his computer instead of a slight malfunction when it locked him out on the first try.

McGee walked deeper into the forest and continued to replay the events of the day. After falling for Tony's prank, he had been yelled at by Gibbs again, had been called on a case, made fun of by Tony, found a lead, and he had fallen down a cliff. What a way to start a day!

McGee found some comfort in knowing that Gibbs had taken the time to actually apologize to him, in person. Heck, Gibbs had broken one of his own rules! McGee was reassured to know that Gibbs truly did care for him, and that he thought that he was a "d*** good agent," and he was also reassured by the fact that Gibbs had chosen him for who he was, not just his skills. He still had some doubts, but those were quickly erased when he reached the crime scene.

"About time you got here, Probie," teased DiNozzo, who was busy bagging evidence.

"Give it a fracture, Tony," Ziva said.

Gibbs, Tony and McGee chuckled when they heard Ziva's latest "Ziva-ism", or her latest misunderstood quote.

"It's not "Give it a fracture," Ziva, the correct saying is "Give it a break."" Tony cued Ziva in on her latest mistake. Tony thought that her latest saying was very funny, and from the looks on their faces, McGee and Gibbs thought that it was funny as well.

"Well excuse me if I don't always use American quotes correctly," Ziva started. "It's not my fault that I don't understand most of them yet. I'm still getting used to your American ways."

As Ziva turned around to face McGee, she was glad to see that he was smiling once again, and then she knew that things had been made up between him and Gibbs. She was also glad because she realized that this meant that she wouldn't have to talk to Gibbs after the day was over about his anger management problems and the way that he had treated McGee.

"What would you like me to do now, Boss?" McGee asked Gibbs, who was inspecting the trail of blood nearby.

"The usual, McGee- I would say bag and tag this time, but I need you to take photos of the evidence instead" Gibbs addressed McGee without looking up. "And try not to break the camera this time," he added.

McGee blushed a little bit, but he knew that Gibbs wasn't angry at him this time. "Yes, Boss, I promise that I won't break the camera this time," he finished.

In the background, Tony chuckled out loud.

"And if I were you, I would make sure that the lid is off, and that the film canister is actually inside the camera as well, McProbie," Tony chimed in.

"I think I know that already, Tony," McGee replied. Boy, he couldn't wait to go back home after he finished his work at the office and crawl into his nice, soft and warm bed. At least when he was at home he would be able to get some peace and quiet instead of Tony's endless conversations and nicknames directed at him.

"Alright, time to get back to work, now." Gibbs ordered.

McGee didn't hesitate any longer. He couldn't wait to finish taking pictures and be allowed to drive back to the office with Ducky and Palmer. If he was lucky, he might be able to catch a ride with them in time.

As the rest of the team continued to work on examining the evidence and investigating the rest of the crime scene, McGee worked diligently to take detailed photos of every square foot of the crime scene. When he had finished taking photos of the blood trail, he headed over towards the tire tracks that Ziva had mentioned earlier.

McGee was so focused on taking pictures that he didn't notice the shadow of another person sneaking up behind him. As he was adjusting the lens and as he was about to take another picture, a light tap on his back sent him jumping back a foot in the air. When he turned around, he was surprised and relieved at the same time to see Tony standing behind him, grinning mischievously.

"Are we a little jumpy today, Probie?" Tony inquired. He truly hadn't expected McGee to be so surprised to see him, but McGee's reaction was funny anyways.

"Don't _do_ that!" McGee practically yelled in Tony's face.

"Do what? This?" Tony taunted, reaching with his right hand towards McGee and tapping him on the back.

"Yes, that!"

"Why not? It's fun to see your reaction!" Tony smirked.

"Just…don't. Tony, just don't do that. Please" McGee added.

"Okay, okay, fine, McProbie. I was just coming over to help direct you to another piece of evidence that needs to be processed," said Tony.

"And what might that be?" McGee asked, becoming a little suspicious.

"It's nothing too major, just a piece of evidence that I dropped," Tony started to whistle, while trying to act all innocent and nonchalant.

Alarm bells were ringing in McGee's head. Tony managed to drop a piece of evidence? Why did he need him to get it for him, instead of getting it himself? There was something hinky going on, but McGee couldn't figure out what it was exactly yet. So he decided to play along with Tony's ruse.

"Alright, fine, but why can't you just go and get it yourself?" McGee asked Tony.

"Because it's located near the tire tracks that you're supposed to be taking pictures of, and because it's actually something that belongs to you, Probie," Tony finished. "So are you coming or not?"

Loud tornado warnings and sirens were screaming in McGee's mind, but he had to ignore them and push them aside. Hopefully Tony hadn't planned for something too terrible to happen, and hopefully it wouldn't be another one of Tony's stupid pranks. McGee really didn't want to fall for another one of Tony's pranks. He had fallen for one too many today already.

"Alright, I'm coming, just give me another minute," McGee trailed off. He was interrupted rudely in mid sentence with a loud "Time's up!" from Tony. McGee sighed. Tony was giving him a really hard time today, and by the looks of it, he wasn't going to stop.

Finally, McGee finished taking photos of the crime scene around him, and followed Tony through a small patch of woods until he reached the section of the crime scene where the tire tracks were.

"So what exactly is it I'm supposed to be retrieving for you?" he asked Tony.

Tony flashed McGee another one of his trademark mischievous grins and said, "your camera."

McGee stopped and turned around and stared at Tony. Now he was a little bit upset. Hadn't Gibbs told Tony that he was supposed to retrieve his broken camera from the brush where McGee had fallen next to?

"What the heck, Tony? Is this some sort of joke? I thought that Gibbs told you that you had to retrieve my camera for me! Not me! So why are you telling me that I have to do your job?"

"Whoa, chillax, Probie! I already retrieved your camera from the brush at the bottom of the cliff, but I left it hanging on a branch on one of the trees nearby. It should be right next to the tire tracks, but I don't know that for certain. The tree that I hung it on might be more that a few feet away from the tracks instead. How am I supposed to remember?" Tony asked McGee with an innocent expression on his face, but McGee could see behind the imaginary halo two small little devil horns popping out.

"Gee, thanks, Tony," McGee said sullenly. He was irked at Tony for making him have to put up with all of his nicknames today, but he was also irked that Tony had deliberately harder for him to find his camera once again.

"Just call me if you need anything!" Tony yelled cheerfully as he walked back up the rest of the trail.

McGee watched Tony hike up the rest of the trail, then set about to work, trying to find his broken camera. He was not having a good day so far.

After several minutes of fruitless searching, McGee finally saw a glimpse of a metal reflection shining off of the sun. When he looked again, closer this time, he found his camera hanging off of a nearby tree branch, just like Tony had said, except for the fact that the tree branch wasn't nearby. No, Tony had put his camera on a tree branch that was on a tree more that fifty feet away!

"Great." McGee muttered to himself as he started to tread through all sorts of forest plants trying to walk towards his misplaced camera. When he finally reached the tree, he reached up and grabbed his camera off of the branch.

As McGee headed back towards the set of tire tracks that he was supposed to be photographing, he noticed that his legs felt as if they had suddenly started to swell and when he looked down, he realized that they had begun to swell. Angry red blotches had made their way up his ankles underneath his pant fabric and were now spreading to his knees. There was only one thing that could have caused his skin to react like it was doing now, and McGee realized with a sickening feeling that he had probably walked through some poison ivy.

McGee stopped where he was and examined the environment around him. He was only ten feet away from the set of tire tracks, and he was surrounded by clumps of poison ivy bushes. If he continued to walk straight forward, then he would run into the tire tracks and mess up the evidence. His only other option was to walk around the tire tracks and exit on the side of them, but then that would mean that he would have to walk another thirty feet through the poison ivy.

McGee sighed once again. He didn't want to disturb the evidence, for fear of making Gibbs mad at him again and for fear of destroying a possible lead, but he really didn't want to walk through another thirty feet of poison ivy. McGee closed his eyes for a minute and then took deep breaths. He knew what he had to do; he just didn't want to do it.

"Okay, there's no other way that I can avoid it, so I might as well just get it done and over with," McGee thought to himself. "I guess it doesn't really matter anyways, because I'm already developing poison ivy rashes and more poison ivy isn't going to hurt me any more than I already am" McGee tried to convince himself with his last statement, but he knew better. Waltzing into more poison ivy would only irritate the rashes on his legs more and add to his misery.

"Alright, on the count of three, you're going to start walking," McGee thought. "Okay…one, two, three!"

On the third count, McGee started to walk as fast and as carefully as he could through the field of poison ivy. When he finally reached his destination point, he could feel his legs swelling even more than they were already. When McGee looked down at his hands, he saw to his horror that they were developing poison ivy rashes as well.

"Well at least that's done and over with," he thought. "I can't wait to go home tonight and crawl into a nice, warm bed. There shouldn't be any poison ivy at home," McGee half-heartedly joked to himself.

"Alright, it's time to get back to work," said McGee aloud to himself, and then he began to photograph the rest of the crime scene.

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><p>When Tony was hiking back up the trail, he had almost reached the top of the hill when he ran into Ziva.<p>

"Hey, wait, Ziva! Wait for just a second! Where are you going?" Tony yelled.

Ziva stared at Tony with a frown and then answered, "I'm going to check up on McGee. He should have been back up here by now!"

"Aw, don't worry about him, he's probably fine. Knowing Probie, it's most likely that he ran into some poison ivy or got caught in a field of it, or maybe he lost his camera, and now he's trying to retrieve it," Tony finished. Too late he realized that he had made a mistake.

Ziva's frown darkened, and as she walked up to Tony, she asked, "And just what would you know about McGee losing his camera and him trying to search for it? Just what would you know about McGee walking into poison ivy or getting stuck in a field of it? Is there something that you would like me to know, Tony? Or is there something that you're trying to hide? Maybe I should call Gibbs on over here,"

Tony made an audible gulp, then tried to reassure Ziva, "What I meant was, McGee is most likely just being McGee. Knowing him, he probably ran into some minor trouble, but he should be fine, shouldn't he?" Tony's tone of voice increased in pitch on his last question.

Turning around, Ziva gave Tony a warning glare before she added, "Well then let's find out for certain. Let's you and I and Gibbs go check on McGee, Tony," she said with a threat in her voice.

After finishing her sentence, Ziva yelled up the trail, "Gibbs!"

The response was a loud "What? What is it now? I'm in the middle of something right now, d*** it! Can it wait, Ziva?" Gibbs yelled.

"No, I'm afraid it can't, Gibbs. It seems as if Tony has pulled another prank on McGee, but this one might not be so harmless."

Within a minute, Gibbs was standing in front of Tony and Ziva. Tony grimaced at the sight of Gibbs joining their posse, because he knew that he was in for it now.

"What is it you've done this time, DiNozzo? Speak up, and you'd better tell me the truth, because I'll know if you're lying, and if you are, then that won't be a pretty sight," Gibbs threatened.

"Let's talk as we walk down the trail," Ziva suggested.

"Good idea, Ziva. Now tell me, DiNozzo, just what exactly did you do to poor McGee this time?"

By the time that Gibbs, Tony and Ziva had reached the bottom of the trail, Tony had finished explaining his "harmless prank" for McGee to walk through poison ivy to retrieve his camera that he had "lost" earlier.

The frown on Gibbs' face was a clear sign that Gibbs wasn't too happy with his senior agent. Talking to him about his "harmless prank", however, would have to wait until later. Gibbs stared at his youngest agent when he finally reached the bottom of the trail.

McGee was unaware that his boss along with Tony and Ziva were a few yards behind him, watching him proceed to take pictures of the tire tracks, but he was aware of the burning and itching pain that was coming from his legs and hands.

As he was just about to take his final picture, the sound of someone calling his name alerted McGee that there was somebody behind him. McGee stood up and turned around to face Gibbs, Ziva, and a shame-faced Tony.

"McGee." Gibbs said.

"Hm? Oh, yes boss? What is it? I'm sorry that I took so long. I didn't mean to keep you guys waiting; I just need to finish this last picture here." McGee replied.

Gibbs nodded and waited for McGee to finish taking his last photo. When he was done, Gibbs approached him and put his hand upon his shoulder.

McGee paused and stared at the hand that was on his shoulder, then turned his head and looked at Gibbs with a confused glance.

"What is it, boss? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not you. You didn't do anything wrong, McGee. This time, DiNozzo did." Gibbs answered his youngest agent with a look of concern on his face.

"What do you mean? Are you talking about the cliff…no, are you talking about the poison ivy…oh…" McGee stopped speaking as the realization hit him. He had ignored the pain in his limbs that the reaction to the poison ivy was giving him up until now. As he looked away from Gibbs, he looked down at his legs, and to his horror, they had continued to swell and were now almost completely red. Little red spots could be found everywhere along his legs and the lower half of his arms.

McGee turned his head around embarrassed. He didn't need Gibbs to give him his pity, or Ziva to give him hers for that matter as well. "It's nothing, Boss. Really. I'll be fine. I think I can handle it," he finished with a note of hope in his voice.

"No, it's not nothing, McGee, that's one serious reaction. I want you to ride back to Headquarters with Ducky and Palmer, and make sure that they have a good look at you. Don't worry about the rest of the crime scene; we'll finish processing it from here. You've done enough here already, McGee."

"But… are you sure that that's alright with you? I mean…"

"No buts, McGee. That's an order. Don't worry about anything else; we'll take care of it from here. Go back to Headquarters and take a small break. We should be back soon."

"Alright, if that's what you want Boss, then that's what I'll do. Thanks."

Gibbs just nodded his head.

After McGee had left, both Gibbs and Ziva turned to face Tony, who had turned around so as not to be facing McGee when he spoke.

**Thwack**!

"Thanks, Boss, I guess I had that coming, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did, DiNozzo! Just what the h*ll were you thinking? Making McGee walk through a patch of poison ivy? Don't you know that he's allergic to poison ivy? Do you think that that was fun? Just what the h*ll were you thinking?" Gibbs yelled at Tony.

Tony looked down at the ground. He knew that what he had planned was a little too far, but he didn't realize that everyone's reaction would be so bad.

"It was supposed to be a harmless prank," he offered as a weak excuse.

This time, it was Ziva who chose to bite his head off.

"That was not a harmless prank, Tony! McGee has had a really hard day already today, and by now I think that everyone had noticed that except for you! Don't you think that McGee has had enough excitement for today? Don't you think that he's not been hurting already? He fell down a cliff, for goodness' sake, Tony! Because you accidently pushed him! And then you had to make him walk through poison ivy! What kind of a team mate would do that? You really need to apologize to McGee, Tony. That was not a harmless prank at all."

Tony for looked back up the trail and Ziva could see the guilt that was beginning to make its way into his eyes.

"I guess that I have an apology to make now, don't I," Tony asked

"Ya think, DiNozzo, ya think?"

As the trio made their way back up the trail, Tony realized that he had a lot of apologies to make, and Ziva and Gibbs realized as well that they had played a major role in McGee's bad day so far. Everyone was starting to realize just how important McGee was, and then they realized that they were the ones who were responsible for his bad day, not McGee himself.

Gibbs hoped that he could make McGee feel better and that he would remember not to press him for answere immediately, while Ziva hoped that she couls make McGee feel better overall, and Tony just wanted to apologize to McGee for the h*** of a bad time that he had given him already.

They just hoped that they were not to late.

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><p>Author's Note: Well, in my personal opinion, Tony finally got what he deserved! I plan to update another chapter again soon this week, if my schedule allows for it to happer. Thank you again for reaing my story, and thank you so much for the reviews! :D<p> 


	11. The Drive back to Headquarters

**Please read!**

**Author's note:** Hello everyone! I am sooo sorry that I am updating another chapter so late, and I will try my hardest not to do that again! Life has been a roller coaster for the last three weeks! Thank you for your patience, and I am sincerely sorry that I did not install another chapter sooner. I will try to update future chapters as soon as I can, but for these next few weeks, I might not be able to update at all. But don't fear! I'm not giving up on this story! My home life has left me incredibly busy. Anyways, thank you for the reviews, and please don't flame me! I will update again as soon as I get a chance. Thank you! Enjoy!

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><p><span>Missing McGee Chapter 11<span>

The ride back to Headquarters

When McGee had finally reached the end of the trail, he paused for a moment to search for Ducky and Palmer. He finally spotted them just as they were getting into the Autopsy Van and preparing to leave. McGee hobbled and made his way towards them as fast as he could without upsetting his legs too much.

Ducky noticed McGee walking towards them and got out of the car.

"Is there something wrong, Timothy?" Ducky asked McGee. He didn't know why Timothy would be walking towards the van unaccompanied unless there was something wrong.

McGee was just about to speak when Ducky exclaimed in shock, "Goodness gracious! That is quite a rash! Timothy, whatever in the world happened to your legs?"

McGee was trying to attempt to speak once again when he was cut off by Palmer, who had just gotten out of the van as well.

"Is everything alright, Dr. Mallard?" Palmer asked with genuine concern. He was just about to start the van's engine when he noticed that Ducky had opened the passenger door and got out. Palmer could think of no apparent reason as to why Ducky would get out of the car when they had been getting ready to leave and so he decided that he would follow the elderly Medical Examiner.

As Palmer approached Ducky and Timothy McGee, he noticed that there was something wrong with McGee's legs. McGee had rolled up the pant legs of his slacks to create make-shift shorts, but Palmer couldn't think of any reason as to why McGee would do that unless it had to do with the nasty rash that was developing on his skin.

When Palmer examined McGee's legs closer than he had done before, he could see that his legs were turning red and small red streaks were running up and down McGee's arms and legs. By the way that his skin was reacting, Palmer noted that McGee was suffering from an allergic reaction to something, but he didn't know what that was.

Ducky sensed Palmer's presence before his assistant had even asked if everything was alright. Without turning around or taking his attention away from Timothy, he said with an edge of concern,

"Jimmy, I'm afraid that dear Timothy here is suffering from a nasty allergic reaction to some poison ivy. Would you be so kind as to start the van for us and retrieve the first aid kit and set it in the back seats? And after you have retrieved the first aid kit, would you mind waiting in the van for us?"

Palmer stared at Ducky quizzically when he mentioned the word "us". Then, seeing Ducky turn around, he noticed just how badly swollen McGee's legs were becoming, and he realized that McGee truly did need medical attention.

Palmer nodded his head in consent at Ducky and listened as Ducky continued to speak.

"It looks like Timothy is going to need to catch a ride back to Headquarters with us, if that's alright with you."

"That's more than fine with me! I'm sorry that you have to ride back with us now because of the condition you're in, I'd like it if you could ride back with us more often, just under different circumstances."

Palmer started shaking his head up and down as fast as he could and answered Ducky sincerely. He didn't want either one of them to think that he didn't enjoy McGee's company.

Ducky continued on. "Good. Then we will be joining you in the van shortly," he finished without a second's hesitation.

Palmer hesitated for a minute, and then remembered what he had been asked to do.

"Oh! Um, right! Fine! I can do that!" he stuttered, then walked around the hood of the van and started the engine from inside the vehicle.

While Palmer was starting up the van, Ducky asked McGee, "Timothy, are you alright? I know that you're allergic to poison ivy, but I also that you're smart enough on your own to know what poison ivy looks like, so you wouldn't have purposely walked into some, now would you," Ducky stated, starting to draw his own conclusions.

McGee nodded his head sheepishly and Ducky continued.

"Are you sure that you can walk? Just how badly is the reaction hurting your skin? Are you sure that you wouldn't mind riding back to Headquarters with us?" he asked sincerely with genuine concern.

McGee responded gently, "Yes, Ducky, I think that I'm fine for the most part, and I can definitely walk, but my legs are really sore and tired right now. On top of that, I have a massive headache that is driving me insane, but it's not the worst pain in the world. As for the rash… that's nothing too major, it's just the way that skin reacts when it comes into contact with poison ivy. About ten minutes ago, Gibbs came down to check on me since I hadn't reported back to him, and when he saw the condition that my legs are in right now, he ordered me to catch a ride with you and Palmer back to Headquarters. And I was hoping that you wouldn't mind if I did hitch a ride with you, because I don't want to be anywhere near Tony right now…"

"Of course I don't mind, Timothy!" Ducky started to say. "And before you ask, I know that Palmer honestly doesn't mind either. You heard him just a couple of minutes ago, didn't you? I think that you know both of us well enough by now to realize that it would be our pleasure to drive back with you to Headquarters. And I can imagine that you need the break from listening to Tony's endless nicknames and that you need a break from him overall," Ducky concluded.

"I would appreciate that very much, thank you," he sighed in relief as he walked to the Autopsy Van with Ducky and opened the passenger door.

By this time Palmer had started the car and the engine was running smoothly. He acknowledged Tim as he opened the side door and entered the van. Ducky followed immediately afterwards.

As soon as McGee had found a seat in the back of the van and fastened his seatbelt, Ducky advanced slowly and made his way towards him, then sat down and after he had buckled his own seatbelt, he told Palmer that he could start driving.

"You can find your way back to Headquarters from here, can't you?" Ducky asked Palmer somewhat nervously.

"Yes, I think that I can find the right way to go without assistance this time," Palmer answered.

It was an unspoken fact between Palmer and Ducky that Palmer's sense of direction wasn't the best, and more often times than not he needed Ducky's directions and guidance. Palmer's driving wasn't nearly as bad as Ziva's driving, but he still drove with sharp turns and hit almost every bump imaginable when driving on the road.

When the van was moving at a fixed speed on a main road, Ducky started to treat McGee's poison ivy rash with some rubbing alcohol, and while he was doing that he started asking McGee about how exactly he had run into the poison ivy.

"It was my own fault, really," McGee started. Then he relayed his entire ordeal to Ducky and Palmer while Ducky finished treating his arms and legs with rubbing alcohol.

"It sounds like Tony has taken his pranks way too far this week," Palmer said.

"I have to agree with Jimmy about that, Tim," Ducky added.

"I know, and while I'm not saying that I disagree that Tony has gone too far with his pranks today, I think that it's mostly my fault, because I was gullible enough to fall for both of them." McGee stated slowly.

"Nonsense! It was not your fault in the least, Timothy!" Ducky exclaimed. "You've done absolutely nothing wrong! It doesn't matter if you are gullible or not; what matters is that Tony has gone too far in pranking you. And he _has_ gone too far! Jimmy and I could hear Gibbs yelling at you from upstairs!"

McGee winced. He knew that Gibbs had yelled so loudly that Tony and Ziva could hear every word that had been said, but he hadn't known that his lecture had reached Ducky and Palmer's ears as well. And for that matter, Gibbs' angered words had probably reached Abby's ears when she was in her lab as well.

Ducky continued to explain to McGee why it wasn't his fault, but McGee was lost in his own thoughts, thinking about what he was going to say to Tony when he arrived at Headquarters. His train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt when he heard Ducky yelling his name.

"Timothy!"

"Hm… wh..what?" McGee asked, coming out of a trance as though he was in a daze.

"What did you say, Ducky? I'm sorry; I think that my mind just wandered off…"

"I asked if you were feeling alright," Ducky asked with concern. He tilted his head to the side and looked directly at McGee. "Is everything alright? Are you feeling okay? How is your headache feeling? Earth to Timothy, can you hear me?"

"Oh, yes, I can hear you just fine, Ducky. I'm sorry about that earlier… I didn't mean to zone out like that, I'm just really tired, and it feels like my brain is in the clouds right now… I'm feeling fine, honestly. I'm just really tired, and I hope that this rash goes away soon." McGee finished.

Ducky shared a worried glance with Palmer from where he was sitting in the front of the van, and then turned his full attention back to McGee.

"That's okay, Timothy. We know what you mean. Believe it or not, I myself have had days like that before, and to be honest, I believe that we've all had days like that before. Now as for your rash… that's going to take some time to die down, but hopefully with the ointment I'm about to give you, the swelling will die down by tonight, and the itching should stop soon. I can't say that the rash itself won't give you any problems, however. I'm afraid that since your body is allergic to the uroshiol chemical in the poison ivy, the chemical is going to stay in your system for a longer time than it would normally would. And if I were to hazard a guess, I would say that your rash should be completely gone by next Wednesday, no actually, next Friday." Ducky concluded.

McGee stifled a groan. A week! He had to wait for a whole week before his rash was gone! And he had to put up with the itching and other side affects every single day until Friday! McGee sighed in frustration. Today really was not a good day.

Despite his irritation, McGee managed to say thanks to Ducky but he couldn't hide his obvious irritation.

"Thanks, Ducky," McGee muttered half-heartedly.

"I know that you're not pleased to hear that, Timothy, but that's the truth. I can prescribe some pills that will speed up the healing process, and I have some ointment here that should stop any itching in a matter of minutes, but aside from that, there's nothing much else that I can do. But I can give you some sleeping powder that you can pour in Tony's coffee, if you feel up to doing that," Ducky added, trying to lighten up the mood.

"That would be greatly appreciated, Ducky, I would love the medicine, but I think that I'll have to hold off from the sleeping powder for now. Gibbs would kill me if he found out that I put his top agent to sleep when we're in the middle of solving a case," he finished with the smallest of smiles on his face. "And thank you for your assistance," he added.

Ducky smiled back at McGee. "It's a pleasure for me to be of assistance," he replied. "And if you don't want to put sleeping powder in Tony's coffee today, then I'm positive that I can find someone else- maybe a fellow ninja or gothic forensic scientist friend- to do it for you," Ducky ended with the slightest hint of amusement on his face.

Palmer waited until Ducky had finished speaking, then announced, "We're here."

McGee hadn't even realized just how much time had passed by. One minute he knew that he was getting into the autopsy van with Ducky, and the next minute it seemed like he had arrived at Headquarters within seconds.

"I guess that we have to get back to work, now, don't we?" McGee asked no one in general.

"I'm afraid that I have to say "yes" to your question, Timothy" Ducky answered as he was exiting the van through one of the side doors.

"Do you guys need any help unloading?" McGee asked politely.

"Thanks, but I think that we'll be fine by ourselves," Palmer replied. "And thank you for riding back with us," he added. "It was a pleasant experience, and a nice change for once,"

"Yes, thank you Timothy for driving back with Jimmy and I. And thank you for putting up with my endless babbling," Ducky said. "I agree with Jimmy. It was a pleasant experience to have you ride with us, and I hope that your rash will start to feel better soon."

"Thanks, Ducky; thank you Jim." McGee took the time to look at both of the medical examiners in the eyes and say thank you.

"I had a nice time talking with you as well, despite the pain that this annoying rash is still giving me. I'll drop by your lab later Ducky to collect that ointment and those pills. Thanks again for the ride!" McGee finished, and with that he turned and started walking towards the nearest stairwell.

As he was walking up the stairs, McGee thought, "Well, it's good to know that Ducky and Palmer at least care about me."

* * *

><p>McGee paused as he opened the main entrance doors that led into the entry room of the NCIS building. After shifting his gear bag from one shoulder to the other, McGee walked into the elevator and waited patiently as he made his ascent up to his office floor. When he got out of the elevator, he was relieved to see that his desk was arranged just the way he had left it. Tony hadn't pulled any more pranks on him before he left, or so it seemed.<p>

After McGee set down his gear in a neat pile by his desk, he turned on his computer and logged on, first making sure that the network cable wire had been plugged in.

"Alright, let's see if I can find a lead this time around…" McGee trailed off as he started to type away on his computer, scanning for any trace of suspicious activity or anything else that could possibly have been related to the murderer's identity. He didn't even bother to look at what time it was until he heard the elevator doors open and Gibbs, Tony and Ziva stepped out.

McGee was expecting some sarcastic remark from Tony, and was awaiting another nickname, but none never came.

"That's strange…" McGee muttered under his breath, not knowing why Tony wasn't making some smart remark or joking about his "Probie's" latest mistake.

"Have you found any leads?" Gibbs asked as he approached McGee, with his normal frown on his face.

"No, not yet… but I'm still working on it, Boss. This guy is virtually invisible! It's like he hasn't left a single trace, or a single lead that I can possibly find! I don't know what to look for next, but I'll continue to search. I mean, he's left no sign of a virtual username or even a cyber identity, and I can't find any similarities between the two deceased naval cadets yet… but I'm still trying. It shouldn't be this hard…" McGee trailed off, fearful that he had disappointed Gibbs once again.

"Search harder then, McGee. You either **do** or **do not** find a lead on this case. There is no "_try_"," Gibbs finished, more irritated than he had been when he entered the NCIS building. He wasn't mad at McGee personally, but he was mad that his youngest agent hadn't been able to find a lead yet. It had been over a week, and the team was left just as clueless now as they had been when they first started.

"Tony! Ziva! Get back to work, now! No one goes home until they find a lead. Do I make myself clear?" Gibbs threatened.

"Glass clear," Ziva muttered, while Tony and McGee laughed silently.

"It's "_crystal_ clear" Ziva, not "_glass_" clear," McGee corrected her gently.

Ziva huffed in response. "Fine! I think I get it now! It's pronounced crystal clear, not glass clear, am I not correct?" her last sentence was more of a statement, rather than a question.

"You're correct, Ziva. Now I want everyone to get back to work! We have a lot of work to do, and we need to find a lead that should have been found on Monday! And that goes for you too, McGee! I'm going to go talk to Director Vance, and when I come back, I expect to see you all typing on your reports. And if you've finished with your report, then you can start looking for more work to do. No excuses! Do I make myself clear?" Gibbs asked, his right eyebrow raised with a frown in his eyes.

"Crystal!" McGee and Tony chimed in, followed by an exclamation of "Glass!" from Ziva.

All eyes turned to Ziva as she tilted her head, frowned slightly, and said, "I pronounced it wrong again, didn't I?"

Gibbs smirked as Tony and McGee started laughing out loud, unable to stop, while Ziva muttered Hebrew curses underneath her breath.

When he was finished laughing, McGee went back to work, typing. He could only hope that he would find a lead soon. And maybe if he did, the rest of his day would go better. He could only hope so.

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><p>Author's note: Well, I hope that you enjoyed that last chapter! Please leave a review if you feel inclined to do so. I would LOVE to read them! Again, thank you for your patience.<p> 


	12. Back at the Office

**Author's**** note**: Hello again, everyone! This is me writing! I have a few things to say...  
><em>First of all<em>, thank you soooo much to everyone who is reading this story! It means alot to me, and I'm glad to know that you all like it! Believe me, that makes my day.

_Secondly_, thank you for your patience. I'm stuck working with an erratic, chaotic, unusually crazy schedule right now. I have final Final exams coming up in two weeks, and I have to prepare for those first, then type later.

_Third of all_, THANK YOU for all of the reviews! 77! WOW! I am in shock! I had no idea that my story would recieve that much attention! And I'm very, VERY grateful for the reviews! I love reading everyone's feedback. It gives me thoughtful insight as to what you guys (and gals) like about my story, and what I can do to improve it. So THANK YOU, everyone, very much for leaving your reviews! You guys are the best!

_Fourth_, this is a personal thank you/ shout out to my close friend LikeAFirework. Thank you for being my BFFF!

_And **FINALLY**_, this is the last chapter before McGee is kidnapped. I decided to upload Chapter 12 at the same time with Chapter 13 so that you guys had an action-filled chapter to look forwards to reading. And without further ado, may I present to you... Chapter 12! I hope you enjoy!

**P.S.-** there's a special surprise in here! I think that you guys will like it! It has to do with Tim and another fellow friendly *wink* *wink* certain gothic character. I hope you enjoy!

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><p><span>Missing McGee Chapter 12<span>

At the Office

It was 5:10 pm, and McGee still hadn't been able to find a lead on the case. Gibbs was downstairs in Abby's lab, double checking on the results from the evidence, while Tony and Ziva were stuck writing their reports. McGee had finished his report earlier shortly after he had been dropped off by Ducky and Palmer. He had been typing away at his computer since noon, and still nothing out of the ordinary came up or popped up on his computer screen.

When McGee heard the elevator ding, he knew that he was in for more trouble because Gibbs would _not_ be pleased to know that he hadn't found a lead yet. McGee knew that Gibbs would be mad at him but it wasn't his fault! McGee didn't know how he would be able to convince Gibbs that it was not his fault, though. Nonetheless, McGee braced himself for the oncoming storm, expecting the worst as Gibbs walked over to his desk.

"What have you got for me, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

McGee breathed in a deep breath. Now came the moment he was dreading the most.

"Nothing, Boss. I'm sorry, but I can't find anything." McGee told Gibbs with dread in his voice. McGee knew that Gibbs was going to get mad at him again, but this time, he wasn't certain just how upset Gibbs would be. He braced himself for the worst.

"Nothing?" Gibbs roared, raising his volume from a low monotone to a voice that was several decibels louder. McGee winced.

"Here comes the storm," McGee thought.

"What do you mean that you've got nothing? I know that I talked with you about this earlier, McGee, but you still haven't found anything? D*** it, McGee, I need a lead, and I need it now! Why haven't you found anything yet? You've been trying to find a lead for the last _week_, D*** it! And I thought that you're supposed to be the smart one! What is taking you so long?"

"I know, Boss, and I've been trying, I've been working my hardest, but…"

"No buts, McGee! I asked you to start searching for a lead on Monday, and today is Friday, _Friday_ McGee, do you hear me? Friday, and you haven't found one single d*** clue. Why? What's been taking you so long? Have you been fooling around on the job?"

"If you had found a clue earlier, McGee, then naval cadet Alexandra Williamston wouldn't have died!" Gibbs yelled.

Gibbs sighed, then continued in exasperation, "Go home, McGee! Just go home. I'm tired of yelling at you today and I'm not in the mood to take any more of this crap right now. Just go home."

There was a moment of shocked silence in the room. Tony just stared at his computer, pretending that nothing was happening, while Ziva switched from looking at McGee from looking at Gibbs. She wanted to defend McGee, but she couldn't do so this time. Gibbs would've gotten mad at her and sent her home as well, and what good was she in solving the case if she couldn't work on it, because she had been sent home? No, this time, she wouldn't interfere with Gibbs. She felt bad for abandoning McGee, but she couldn't risk being sent home by Gibbs. She was needed here.

McGee looked around the room, his gaze resting on Ziva's, silently pleading for help. But Ziva turned her face around and stared at her computer screen instead. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see McGee's look of betrayal and hurt.

McGee returned his gaze to Gibbs' glare. Since Ziva wasn't going to be of any help, he had to face Gibbs alone. And he wasn't going down without a fight.

"But… Boss, you don't understand! You, of all people, should know that I have been working hard, and that I have been trying to find a lead! It's not my fault that I can't do everything right, and it's not my fault that I can't please your every wish and command! I'm not perfect, and I know that I've made mistakes before, but I haven't made any mistakes this week! I am trying to help find the murderer, and that's what counts! If you think that I've been slacking off, or fooling around on the job, then you're wrong!"

Gibbs' frown darkened. He looked at McGee with more anger now than he had looked at him earlier. McGee had never told him that he was wrong before.

"What did you just say?" Gibbs whispered so softly that McGee could barely hear him. Gibbs was seething, and that's when McGee snapped.

"I think you heard what I said. I told you that I've been trying. I can only do so much, and I'm sorry if I've failed you, but it's not my fault! I don't know how many times I've tried to tell you that, because it's the truth! _It is not my fault_. I didn't kill Alexandra with my own bare hands! I hate working on this case as much as you do, and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to find a lead yet, but it's not my fault that she died when she did. And it's not fair for you to yell at me when I've done nothing wrong! I don't want to get angry, Boss, but… you are being a bully! It's like you care about the case more than you care about me!"

McGee was angry now. He couldn't keep his rage bottled up inside any longer, so he decided to finally let it out.

"How can you expect me to be able to find a lead when you give me three reports to write up, several various typing assignments, and ask me to investigate a crime scene at the same time? Why is it that when I got something right this week, you didn't even acknowledge it, but when I made a mistake, you criticized me instead and told me that I was useless and gullible? I've tried, Boss, I've tried so hard to find a lead, but I can only do so much. And it's not fair! I put up with your yelling and your criticism, I listen to you lecture me and destroy my dignity, and you don't give a d*** about how I feel! I've tried, Gibbs! I've worked really hard this week and I've done everything you've asked me to do, but no matter how hard I try it's not enough. So if you want me to leave the office, then fine! I will! But I'll show you Boss, I'll show you in one way or another, that for once I am right, and you are wrong. And I'll make it up to you- I will find a lead, but when I do, your apology will mean nothing to me, if you even do decide to apologize. I will find a lead, Gibbs, and I will make you proud. I'll find a lead if it's the last thing I do!" McGee finished.

Gibbs face showed no trace of any emotion, but on the inside, he was surprised by what he had just heard. Anger soon replaced his initial shock and surprise though. Sure, McGee had been working hard, but that was no excuse as to why he hadn't found a lead yet. And he had no right to yell back at him.

"I'm not the one who's wrong, McGee. You are. I don't care about your excuses! You should have found a lead on Monday, and Alexandra should not have been killed! If you had found a lead on Monday, then she wouldn't have died! You aren't of any help here, anymore McGee! There's nothing that you can do! I won't tell you again! Just go home! Go. Home," Gibbs finished.

McGee turned away from Gibbs and stood up. Silently, he stacked his papers and his files and put them away in his backpack. Then, without any expression whatsoever, he yanked out the hard drive that was waiting in his computer outlet, and without bothering to log off or save any unfinished data, McGee jammed his finger onto the main power button and waited until an audible click was heard from the computer. His computer screen died instantly and turned black.

Never in his entire career of working at NCIS had McGee deliberately turned off his computer by pressing and holding in the power button. Ziva took careful note of this and realized that McGee must have been very angry if he didn't bother to properly shut down his computer, his only instrument of expertise.

Silently, as the rest of the team watched, McGee gathered his belongings and put on his backpack. He didn't even try to clean up the mess on his desk. Then, without a single word, McGee strode out of the room and walked into the stairwell, making sure that the door slammed behind him.

Then there was silence once more where Tony, Ziva and Gibbs stood.

Gibbs broke the silence by saying, "Let's get back to work."

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><p>McGee decided that he would head down to Abby's lab before he headed off home, hoping that Abby's friendly and enthusiastic personality would cheer him up a bit. Knowing Abby, she would probably make him smile in more ways than one.<p>

McGee reached Abby's lab and slowly walked in. He was greeted by the sound of heavy rock music playing at a very loud volume. Smiling already, McGee set his stuff down and walked up towards Abby.

"Hey, Abby!" he had to shout.

Abby stood up from the counter where she was bending, noticed Timothy, then went to her sound system and turned down the volume. McGee relaxed a bit when the volume was finally lowered. For some strange reason, he wasn't too fond of loud music.

"Timmy!" Abby squealed, turning around. She then embraced McGee in a hug. "What brings you down here to my humble little lab?" she asked.

"Honestly, I need some encouragement right now," McGee answered, sighing as he did.

"Why? Is everything alright? Mean ol' papa bear Gibbs didn't get mad at you again, did he?" she teasingly asked, smirking at her pet name for Gibbs.

Her smile faded though as she watched McGee sigh and nod his head yes.

"What? He did? Oh, that's terrible! What did he get mad at you for doing this time?" she asked, worried and suspicious that McGee might be in bigger trouble than he was at the start of the day.

"He yelled at me again because I still haven't been able to find a lead yet," McGee said dejectedly. "I tried to explain to him that I've been working hard all week to find a lead, a clue, anything- but he wouldn't listen. He told me that if I had found a lead on Monday, then Alexandra wouldn't have died. But it's not my fault! I've been searching all week for the identity of the murderer, but my computer isn't coming up with anything. This man is virtually invisible! I mean, I know that I've had tougher cases before, but this case is hard! And it doesn't make it any easier for me to find a clue when Gibbs is yelling at me constantly!" McGee exclaimed, and then sighed for what seemed to be the billionth time that day.

"Oh, Timmy… I know that this is not an excuse, but I'm going to say it anyway- this case is hitting everyone hard, not just me or you. It's much harder on Gibbs, because of the age of the cadets. I know that you won't want to do this, but… try cutting Gibbs some slack, okay? He's not a bad guy, Tim, and he's not a bad boss… he's just having some issues right now, to put it sweetly," Abby finished.

McGee half smiled, but a look of hurt quickly replaced his smile.

Abby saw McGee's smile disappear, then she started smiling again because she knew what would make him happy. She beckoned him over to her office side of the lab.

"Come here, Timmy! I know exactly what you need!"

"Oh really? What's that?" McGee asked, curious to know what Abby had in store for him now.

"You need a hug!" She said cheerfully, and smiling, she continued, "But not just any hug…. You need a _special_ hug! One that will make you smile again! I know that I can do that, but I think that someone else can do it much better right now than I can…"

"Who's 'someone else'?" McGee asked cautiously, curious to know who exactly Abby was referring to. He asked somewhat nervously as well, because knowing Abby, she could be referring to anything- a cupcake, one of her voodoo dolls… who knew?

"You need a hug from… Bert!" Abby squealed once again, lifting up her stuffed plush farting hippo and holding him up in front of McGee.

"What? I need a hug from _Bert_?" McGee asked, backing away from the farting hippo, completely confuzzled. He saw Abby frown in disappointment, hurt that he didn't want to hug her toy, and realized that if he didn't act fast, Abby would begin to cry. Quickly, he walked up towards Abby again, gently removed Bert from her hands, and gave the farting hippo a hug.

There was an awkward silence that followed the hippo's noise, and then Abby started giggling. McGee couldn't help himself. He started giggling as well. Soon, the pair's giggles transformed into full blown out laughter which lasted for a couple of minutes.

When the laughter had died down, McGee set Bert back on Abby's floor then gave Abby a hug. She in turn gave him a good squeeze then backed away to one of the counters.

"Thanks, Abby," McGee spoke to her. "You are a great source of contagious encouragement, laughter, giggles and smiles, did you know that?" he asked.

"Yes, actually I did, but I hadn't heard it from you before up until now," Abby replied. "Do you really think that I'm a source of contagious giggles?" she asked, giving McGee an inquisitive look.

"Yes, yes I do. I know now that you are _definitely_ a source of contagious giggles, based on my own most recent experience," McGee replied.

"Aww… thanks, Timmy! You're such a nice geek. And I'm sorry about what Gibbs said to you earlier. Sometimes you just have to look at people more ways than one. I mean, there are more sides to me than you originally thought there were, right? Right?"

Abby turned around and looked at McGee, trying to find out why he hadn't answered her question yet. He was standing completely still, and seemed to be lost in thought.

"Timmy? Tim? McGee? Can you hear me at all? This is Earth base to Timothy McGee, can you hear me? Can you hear me? McGee? Tim!" Abby nearly yelled McGee's name on her last time.

McGee shook his head suddenly, then looked back at Abby.

"Abby, you're a genius!" He exclaimed. "Thank you so much! You may just have helped me find the key to finding a lead! Thank you! Now I know what I have to do! It's not about looking at people, or in this case- ha! No pun intended- one person, in one way, it's about looking in more ways than one! And I know exactly how to do it! I've been searching for the wrong lead, Abby! I've been focusing on finding the identity of the murderer when really, instead, it's about looking at his motives as to why he's been committing these murders! And his motives can be hypothesized by basing them off of the similarities between his victims! That's it! If I want to find a lead, then I have to compare and contrast the differences between the dead naval cadets. That's all there is to it! Maybe I can prevent another murder from occurring this week! And now I can prove myself to Gibbs! Thank you Abby! Thanks for everything!"

McGee gave Abby another tight hug then grabbed his gear and quickly left her lab.

"Now I wonder what all that was about?" Abby questioned herself silently. "What did I do?"

* * *

><p>McGee knew that Gibbs wouldn't be happy to see him return to the squad room, but he honestly didn't care. Gibbs couldn't make him leave. He certainly couldn't <em>force<em> him to leave, especially if he was on the verge of finding a lead.

As McGee was riding in the elevator up to the squad room level, he couldn't help but wonder how he had missed it before- the key to finding the identity of the murderer rested in finding the similarities between the two dead cadets. That meant that McGee had to find out why the man would murder these two particular cadets before he could find the man's identity. Now if only he knew what to say to Gibbs when…

The elevator jerked to a stop and dinged. Taking a deep breath, McGee waited for the elevator doors to open, then boldly walked out and headed back to his desk.

Ziva and Tony were still busy typing their reports when they heard the elevator's ding. Ziva knew that Gibbs was still seated at his desk, so he couldn't possibly be getting off the elevator. When she lifted her head up from her work, she was surprised to see that it was McGee who had gotten off, and was now walking back towards his desk.

"McGee!" Ziva called out towards her friend, alerting Tony and Gibbs of their colleague's presence.

McGee seemingly ignored Ziva's call. Having arrived at his desk, he went straight to work, setting down his stuff, checking to make sure that the computer network cable was plugged in before he turned on his computer and logged in.

Tony looked up from his computer screen and was also surprised to see McGee back at his desk, acting as if nothing had ever happened before he had left. McGee was too busy typing to notice Gibbs stand up from his desk and walk over to where he was sitting.

"I thought I told you to go home," Gibbs growled. Even though he was curious to know why McGee had returned to the office so quickly, McGee was disobeying a direct order- again.

McGee didn't answer Gibbs immediately.

"You did," McGee answered, never taking his eyes off his computer screen.

Gibbs didn't hesitate before he asked his next question.

"So why are you still here? Why did you come back, McGee? Do you know that you are disobeying a direct order?"

"I'm here because I'm trying to find a lead," McGee answered calmly, keeping his cool. "And I'm trying to prove my point. I'm also trying to prevent another murder from happening. And yes, I know that I'm disobeying your direct order, but you can't take me off the case now, and you most certainly won't stop me from trying to find a lead. Now if you would be so kind, it would be very much appreciated if you would step away and go back to your desk and let me finish typing here in peace."

Tony blinked twice and shook his head. Had he really heard what he thought he just heard? McGee was talking back to Gibbs? McGee told Gibbs to leave him alone? Ziva shared Tony's disbelief. What in the world did McGee think he was doing?

Gibbs cocked his eyebrows. McGee was not known for talking back to authority. What had gotten into him?

"What did you just say?" Gibbs asked, a threat hidden in his question.

"You heard me, Boss." McGee started. Tony's jaw dropped. Ziva blinked twice. Gibbs kept his composure, but leaned in closer to closer to where McGee was working away furiously.

"No offense, Boss, but unless you don't want to find a lead, then I'm going to ask you to leave me alone. I'm not trying to be rude; I'm just telling you the truth. I told you that I would find a lead if it was the last thing I did, and that's what I'm working on doing right now."

"Now you listen here, McGee…" Gibbs interrupted, but was cut off by McGee.

"No, you listen to me, Gibbs. First of all, you told me that you wanted me to stand up to you if I thought that you were doing something wrong. And that's exactly what I'm doing now. So listen to me! Just let me explain myself to you, and you two as well, Tony, Ziva. If you hadn't kicked me out like you did earlier today Boss, then I never would have gone to Abby's lab, and if I hadn't gone to Abby's lab, then I wouldn't have understood what I was doing wrong. The answer is really simple, Boss- it's been sitting in front of me all week. I was just too stressed out to notice it earlier. I've been looking at this case from the wrong perspective- I've been trying to find the sole identity of the murderer alone, but the first thing that I should have done was look at his motives behind murdering the two cadets. If I can find his motives, then I can narrow down the search even more. And the sooner I get started here, the sooner I'll have a lead for you. I just need for you to be patient. So if you don't mind, then allow me to finish my work here, and if I can't find a lead by tonight, then you have my full permission to get mad at me again. But not right now. Let me work in peace, please."

Gibbs, Ziva and Tony stared at McGee in shock. He never talked back to Gibbs! Or for that matter, he never really talked back to anyone. He was a gentleman that way. But here he was now, talking back to Gibbs, his boss, politely.

"Then so be it." Gibbs growled. "But you'd better have a good lead, McGee, or so help me I will…" he trailed off, muttering to himself as he stomped back towards his desk.

Tony and Ziva just stared at each other once more with confused glances, then returned to their desks and went back to work.

When everyone had gone back to their own independent work, McGee let out a sigh of relief, glad to know that he would now be able to work alone in peace and concentrate on the task in front of him. He just hoped that he would get it right this time.

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><p><strong>Author's note- Again:<strong> So how'd you like it? I thought that I would experiment with a bit of McAbby. Did you like it? I tried to get Abby's character down as best I could. Let me know what you think. Oh! And don't forget to read the next chapter!


	13. A Dog Day

**Author's** **Note**: Alright, here you guys and gals go! The chapter you've all been waiting for! McGee is finally kidnapped! Poor McGee! Sorry in advance if I did any characters Out of Character. I'm still learning! Thank you for your patience. The speed shoud pick up a little bit more from here. I hope that you enjoy! Please feel free to leave a review (or two) :D Enjoy the chapter!

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><p><span>Missing McGee<span>

Chapter 13: A Dog Day

It was nearly ten o' clock, and by now the squad room had been deserted except for two figures who were working diligently at their desks. McGee was busy typing away, while Gibbs was reading through Tony and Ziva's reports. Gibbs paused and looked at McGee, whose face was practically glued to his computer screen, and whose fingers were still typing.

Gibbs focused on the reports in front of him once again and didn't look up again until he had finished reading through them and was ready to head for home. He hadn't realized what time it was until he glanced down at his watch. It was precisely eleven o' clock pm. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that McGee was still typing away at his computer.

"Big surprise there," he thought as he started packing up. As much as he didn't feel like doing so, he decided to ask McGee if he had finished and was planning on heading home soon.

"Are you almost done there, McGee?"

There was no response from the younger agent except for the constant noise of fingers tapping away at a computer keyboard.

Gibbs tried again. "McGee! Are you almost done? Have you finished yet? Have you found a clue yet?"

Again, there was no response. Gibbs sighed and decided to ignore McGee's ignorance with as much patience he could muster. If McGee wanted to stay up late working, and if he wanted to ignore his question of concern, then that was his choice. There was nothing he could do to change his mind. That was one thing that Gibbs liked about McGee- he was stubborn, just like he was, and he did not give up easily.

"I'm heading home, McGee. I don't care what time you leave, but you had better have a lead for me on Monday, or else I will make you stay here until you can find one. Do you hear me?"

No response.

"Fine, then. I'm going home. You're in charge of locking the place up. Goodnight, McGee." Gibbs finished and walked to the elevator.

"G'night, Boss," McGee mumbled underneath his breath, barely loud enough for Gibbs to hear it. Gibbs did hear him, though, but chose to ignore him instead.

Everything was silent in the squad room once again. McGee glanced at his computer's clock, which read 11:15 pm, and then continued his search on his computer for possible motives behind the murderer's mind. He spent the rest of the hour typing and revising his list of possible motives, then edited it and reviewed it once through before he started typing his list that compared and contrasted the differences between the two deceased naval cadets.

When the clock read 12:05, McGee finally stopped typing and looked back on his work. He had writer two long, lengthy and detailed lists regarding the differences between the two cadets and possible motives behind their deaths. Now came the hard part. Finding the identity of the murderer based upon those various possible motives and the numerous similarities between the two naval cadets. This was going to take forever to complete.

McGee decided to let his computer do all the work this time. He would program his computer to run various scans for the identities of possible murderers. For some strange reason, McGee felt like it would be better for him to let the computer do the work this time around, instead of doing it manually. He had a funny feeling- a gut feeling- that a clue would show up before Monday arrived, and he suspected that by the time he returned on Monday his computer would have identified the name of the murderer. Technology was getting so much more complex these days.

After he had started running the automatic search for the murderer's identity, McGee decided to send off an e-mail to the man that he had met earlier that day- Chris.

"Who knows?" McGee thought. "Maybe he can give me some helpful information. It's just an idea, and I want to stay in touch with him anyways."

Five minutes later, McGee clicked the send option on his computer and was about to shut everything down when his computer "dinged". This notified McGee that the search had found something, or rather, someone.

The search had been running for less than ten more minutes when the name popped up.

"Bruce Parkston…" McGee read aloud to himself. Who knew? Maybe this was the name of the murderer. He wouldn't know for certain until he compared this name to the other two that could possibly come up. He would just have to wait and see. McGee let his computer run for a few minutes more, waiting to see if any more names were selected.

When no more names were found, McGee pulled up everything he could possibly find about Bruce and saved it on a file in an attempt to make his work easier on Monday. He saved the search results that had come up so far onto the same file as well, and just in case, he downloaded everything a hard drive as well.

Seeing that his work at the office was done, McGee shut everything down then headed to the elevator. He knew that his computer would finish the search overnight, and list the names for him when he returned on Monday.

When McGee arrived in the garage, he went straight to his car and got right in. He was ready to go home. It had been a long, grueling, tiresome day. And a bad one, on top of that.

* * *

><p>By the time McGee arrived at his apartment building, it was way past midnight; it was almost one o' clock in the morning.<p>

As opened the door in the stairwell that was on his floor, he noticed that something seemed wrong… he couldn't figure out what it was exactly, yet, but it was a gut feeling. He only hoped that it wasn't anything too serious…

When McGee approached his front door, he knew for certain that something was definitely wrong. For starters, Jethro wasn't barking. Normally, whenever he returned from work, Jethro would run up to the door and start up a barking frenzy. Then when McGee would enter inside and walk through the front door, Jethro would run a circle around his legs and jump up on him, placing his hind paws on his shoulder and start licking his face. McGee loved his dog. He felt so lucky to own such a special German Shepard.

But Jethro wasn't barking. Something was definitely wrong. As McGee stood in the hallway, he contemplated calling Gibbs, but decided against it. It was 1:40 am in the morning, and McGee was pretty certain that Gibbs wouldn't want to be woken up at 1:40 am. Especially considering the fact that he had left the office at 11pm. He would only have gotten two hours' worth of sleep, and McGee figured that whatever was wrong probably wasn't worth waking Gibbs up over.

Now if something was truly wrong, perhaps if there were burglars in his home, then McGee would call Gibbs, along with the local police department. But for now, he didn't want to risk waking up Gibbs and calling him over to his apartment at 1:40 in the morning for nothing. He would have to face this alone.

McGee reached for his house key in his bag. While he was retrieving it, he snuck a glance at the bottom of the hallway floor that led into his suite. There was no light coming out from the crack between his door and the floor, another warning sign that something was wrong. McGee would always leave a coffee table light on when he left for work, so that he wouldn't come home to complete darkness.

"I know I'm going to regret this later…" McGee mumbled underneath his breath as he zipped up his backpack pocket after retrieving his house key.

McGee was smart- he wasn't stupid, and he knew that something was wrong inside, but he didn't know exactly what it was. For all he knew, it could be something minor, or it could be something major or even worse. Maybe Jethro was sick… or maybe there were intruders inside. McGee didn't know what he was going up against, but he wasn't going unprepared. He braced himself for the worst.

Taking out his gun and cocking it on safety, McGee put his key in the doorknob and twisted it until he heard it unlock. Then, taking in a deep breath, McGee swung the door open with a strong force and quickly stepped against the side wall of the hallway, in case anyone was trying to sneak up on him.

He waited for about ten seconds, and when no one leapt out at him from behind, he cautiously took a few steps forward until he was in his entryway. Still holding his gun up in front of him, in a defensive/ offensive stance, he glanced around the room slowly. It was hard to see, because the room was so dark.

"Federal Agent!" McGee yelled loud enough for anyone in his suite to hear, but not loud enough to wake his neighbors. "Freeze!" he added.

"Show yourself! I've got a fully loaded weapon here, and I'm not afraid to use it! Now, if there's anyone here, then I'll give you three seconds to show yourselves and surrender. Do you hear me? Show yourself now!" he yelled.

It was completely silent except for the nervous breaths that came from McGee. He highly suspected that there was someone in the suite, he just didn't know where to look first.

"Think, _think_! What would Gibbs do?" McGee thought and questioned himself. He was still thinking when he thought he heard a faint, muffled whine coming from his bedroom.

"Jethro?" McGee asked, in his state of mind having totally forgotten about his dog.

"Jethro? Are you there? Where are you, boy?"

McGee was suddenly silent when he heard a more distinct, muffled whine that came from his bedroom again. This time it was followed by a low growl, then a muffled yelp.

"Jethro!" McGee yelled, worried for his canine companion's wellbeing. He could only follow the sounds of his dog's whines that led into his bedroom. He feared the worst. What happened? Was Jethro alright? Why was he whining? And growling? Jethro never growled unless he was concerned for his master's safety. For the fourth time that morning, McGee concluded that there was definitely something wrong. It was no longer a matter of if there was something wrong; it was a matter of how severe it was.

As McGee slowly advanced around his hallway corner that lead to his bedroom, he heard another growl from Jethro, only it was louder and more distinct that it had been last time. Again, immediately following his growl, McGee heard Jethro yelp seemingly in pain. The sound of his dog's injured cry made his blood boil.

When McGee was turned and faced his bedroom, he observed that his door had been left wide open, and that Jethro was seemingly nowhere to be seen. That spelled trouble, with a capital T.

Just as he was about to enter his room, McGee heard Jethro growl loudly once again, but this time, he heard a voice harshly whisper, "Shut up, you stupid mutt!", and then the sound of Jethro whining in pain and fear for his master once again.

McGee could stand it no longer. His last shred of patience had disappeared when he heard Jethro whine for a third time and another muffled yelp!

"Federal Agent! Freeze!" McGee yelled.

The man that had been waiting in the shadows against McGee's closest bedroom wall jumped in surprise. McGee raised his weapon and took aim, aiming directly at the intruder that stood before him. He cocked the safety off his gun and shouted,

"Freeze! Drop your weapons! Now raise your hands up! Good. Now what did you do to my dog?" he demanded, angry at the man for trespassing and intruding into his home. What made him mad the most, though, was not being able to see Jethro. McGee was concerned for his dog, more than he was concerned about his general safety.

The man in front of him didn't answer; he remained silent instead.

"I'm only going to ask this one more time- where is my dog, and what did you do to him?" McGee demanded in a tone that was ten times more threatening than it had been a moment ago.

"He's over there," the intruder replied, gesturing towards the corner that was behind him. McGee took his eyes off of the intruder for a minute and glanced at Jethro.

Jethro was lying in a heap in the corner, breathing slowly and heavily. From the looks of it, he had been drugged. That wasn't what concerned McGee the most, though. A small patch of blood had matted on the side of his golden and black furry pelt. It was near the ribs, McGee noted, before he realized that he had unintentionally lowered his weapon.

It was too late. There was a sickening "crack!", and the last thing McGee felt before he fell into unconsciousness was a heavy blow to the back of his head. He jerked once as he fell, then looked towards Jethro one last time with concern as his gaze met with his dog's gaze.

A look of mutual worry and concern for each other passed between the two, and then McGee blacked out as he felt something ram viciously into his head once again.

"Gibbs is going to be so pissed…" was the last thing he thought before he fell into the inky blackness that clouded his vision.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>Oh no! Poor mcGee! And poor Jethro! Don't worry, don't worry! Jethro will be fine! I promise! I believe in happy endings, and I would not be able to bear it if Jethro did not have a happy ending. Trust me, everything will be fine! Please let me know what you think. Thanks!


	14. Please tell me this is a Dream

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters or the cast! Or the show! I just own the plot!

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this note, and this story, and this chapter! I apologize for the timing. I'm working with a crazy schedule right now, trying to study for final exams all this week and all that jazz! Anyways, thank you for sticking with me, despite the delays, and thanks again for all of the reviews! I love reading them, they give me motivation and encourage me to write another chapter. They remind me of why I write on FanFiction. You all are so nice! Without further ado, I would like to present Chapter 14! I hope that you guys enjoy!

Oh, and this is a SPECIAL shout out to my dear BFFF LikeAFirework- Thank you for your shout-out! It made my day! You are such a nice person, and thank you for thinking of me! I hope that you have a wonderful rest of the day! Thanks for being my BFFF! :D

And a special thank you to ILikeCrimes- thank you for the wonderful PM's that you send me! I love reading them! And thank you for being my friend! I'll try to send you another PM soon!

Okay, back to the story- I hope that you guys enjoy! I decided to write McGee's thoughts in _italics_, for a change. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

* * *

><p><span>Missing McGee<span>

Chapter 14- Please tell me this is a dream, not Reality.

_Pain._

_Ouch. Pain. Throbbing pain._

_Throbbing pain in head._

McGee's eyes snapped open and his head jerked up as he subconsciously realized that he was in pain. He wished that he hadn't done so. The ache that was throbbing in his head only became worse, and he wasn't sure what to make of the sight that met his eyes. He slowly tilted his head back forwards, gently, so as not to antagonize his headache any more than he had done already.

_What happened? Where am I? Where is that pain coming from? What is going on? _McGee thought.

Once the white spots that were dancing in front of his eyes had disappeared, his vision came into focus. He was in a dark, unlit room, and for some strange reason, everything seemed to hurt. Especially his head.

McGee tried to raise his hands to the back of his head, only to find to his surprise that they were restricted from doing so. He tried moving them, and found that he couldn't move his wrists at all. When he glanced down at his hands, he found that they were tied to the arm rests of the chair he was sitting on.

_Wait…my hands are tied to a chair? This isn't making any sense. Is this some kind of prank? No, this is too real to be a prank or even an extreme practical joke. This is not good. Perhaps I'm just dreaming. Yes! That's it! I'm in a dream. But wait… that's illogical. I can't be dreaming, since I am actively thinking, and since I am thinking and I've recognized the situation, then that means…_

McGee came to the awful realization.

_This is reality. Not a dream. This is serious. Seriously not good._

McGee fruitlessly struggled and tried to free his wrists from the ropes that were restraining him from moving. He was hoping to gain some free movement that he could work with, but was met with no such luck. The ropes only rubbed against his skin harder and harder until he finally gave up. McGee let out an exasperated sigh of frustration.

_Okay, that failed. I'm not going to try that again until I really need to. Let's see… is anything else tied down to this stupid chair?_

McGee struggled against his bonds some more and found to his dismay that his legs had been bound as well and his arms were pinned to the back of the chair. He couldn't leave the chair he had been tied down to unless he could untie the bonds that held him there. He started to panic again.

_Whoah! Calm down, calm down, calm down, and slow down…okay. First things first. I will not panic. I will remain calm. I will not panic. Okay…I can do this. This is just like a puzzle that needs to be solved, piece by piece, or in this case, step by step. The first thing I need to do is relax. Hmph! Easier said than done!_

McGee closed his eyes and started breathing in slow, patient breaths._ Okay, good. That's a start. Now… what next?_

McGee's mind wondered off and started processing the situation he was in.

_Where am I? Why does everything hurt? Slow down again, let's tackle things one at a time…Think…what am I doing? WWGD? What would Gibbs do? Would he sit here and do nothing? Heck No! That's not what he would do! First, I think he would examine the situation. Alright, let's give that a try. I'm going to take things one at a time. First question… where exactly am I?_

McGee opened his eyes once again and adjusted to the darkness of the room that he was in. Looking around, he noticed that he was in a large room with no windows, or at least none that he could notice so far. The walls seemed to be made of cement.

_A cellar. I'm in a cellar of sorts. Either that or a basement. Now that I think about it, it seems like it's more of a basement than it is a cellar. Alright. Now try to find more details._

As McGee examined the room he was being contained in, he noticed several minor details he had failed to notice earlier. First, was that there did seem to be a window… _perhaps it's a ground window?_ McGee thought, trying to find the most logical and reasonable answer.

Secondly, there was a small set of stairs that was leaning against the wall that was furthest away from where he was seated. _Those stairs probably lead to the main level. I wonder how many levels this building has. Perhaps if I can find the answer to that question, I can give that information to Gibbs and make it easier for him to find me. He probably doesn't know that I've been kidnapped yet. What is today? If it's Saturday, then no one on the team will notice I'm missing until Monday! Focus! Focus, Tim! I need to gain as much information as I can before it's too late! Focus! What else is there to remember about this basement?_

McGee also noticed that most of the room was bare, except for several metal poles supporting the weight of the building. _That means that this is most likely a house or common suburban dwelling, not a factory or warehouse. That's some useful information._

That was everything McGee could observe from his current position. The window that he had seen earlier was located on the wall to his left. McGee returned to thinking about what he was supposed to do.

_Okay, now that I have a general idea of where I am, I can answer another question. What is hurting? Oh, and add to that, what hurts the most?_

McGee stopped and ironically sat still for a moment. He started a mental list of what hurt in his mind.

_Let's see…my head hurts, my wrists are sore, my legs are beginning to itch again, and I think that I have a massive headache…that's most likely a migraine…yep. That would be it! Okay, so now I have to identify what hurts the most. Simple enough to answer! That would definitely be my head! Now, where exactly does it hurt? Um…I think near my right temple… and the back of my head is pretty sore as well…maybe there's a bruise? I must have been hit pretty hard from behind if my head hasn't stopped hurting yet._

_Great. This is just great. This is not how I wanted to start my day… if it's even sometime in the morning. What time is it?_ McGee wondered.

McGee looked down at his right wrist, looking for his expensive wristwatch, which wasn't there. Whoever had done this to him had obviously taken his watch away from him.

_Smart. This guy's obviously a pro. Now I know exactly what type of a kidnapper I'm dealing with. _McGee sighed. _Gibbs is going to kill me!_

McGee paused and shook his head slightly. He needed a minute to take everything in. He was tied down to a chair, who-knows-where in a dark room, specifically a basement or something like that, and he had a major headache. On top of that, every part of him was sore, and he highly suspected that his rash to the poison ivy was acting up again. What was going on? What had happened? What had he done to deserve this? What had he done wrong this time?

_Oh, that's right. Let's see… I still haven't found a lead, I fell for Tony's immature computer prank, I fell down a cliff, I've delayed the team too many times to count this week… and now I've been kidnapped. Why wouldn't Gibbs be mad at me? Or, better yet, why wouldn't he kill me?_

McGee laughed a bitter laugh, and then scoffed after doing so. Somehow, he had really managed to piss Gibbs off over the course of one week. He could only hope that Gibbs and the rest of the team would rescue him first before they killed him. He only hoped that they would want to find him in time.

_Stop! Stop thinking like that! I will not think like that and I will not give in to any mind games. You need to think positively, Tim. Don't let the situation get the better of you! Show this situation that you're in control! I will not be intimidated. Gibbs will find me. Along with Tony and Ziva and maybe even the others. They'll find me in time! I'm a member of their team, and I know that they'll be looking for me. They'll find me in time, and they'll find the idiot who thought of kidnapping me in the first place. They'll come for me! I know they will! I refuse to think otherwise. They'll find me in time…_

_I hope._ McGee added silently.

Suddenly the door at the top of the stairs opened, shedding light into the dimly-lit room. A shadow stepped out from behind it and closed the door behind him once more. McGee could hear the door being locked, then heard the ominous clunks made by the person stomping down the stairs.

_The stairs are wooden,_ McGee thought. He tried to reassure himself that he would not be scared by whatever was coming next. The person stopped right in front of McGee. McGee's body tensed. The man looming over him was dressed in all black- black sweat pants, black T-shirt, black ski mask… black everything. McGee couldn't get a good look at the man's face, but he thought that he could vaguely recognize his captor's eyes…

_Those eyes… I've seen them before._

Before McGee could say anything at all, the man looming over him spoke.

"And so we meet again, Special Agent Timothy McGee."

A chill went down McGee's spine. Why, he didn't know. He recognized that voice, he recognized those eyes...

"... Chris?... Is that you?..."

There was no response. McGee closed his eyes and frowned. This could not be happening. It had to be nothing but a dream, but it wasn't. It was a nightmare, yet it wasn't that either. This was reality, not a dream, and McGee had been forced to wake up to the cruelness of it.

_I hope you come and find me soon, Gibbs. I don't know what to do. I don't know what I'm facing yet. Just come and rescue me soon. Please._

The team would find him. McGee knew they would, or at least that's what he hoped. That was the only thing that he could do- hope and pray.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> So what'd you guys think? Did I do an okay job? I'm sorry for the short chapter, I'll try to make up for it with a longer one when I get the chance to type again. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D


	15. I think I already know you

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS!**

**Author's Note:** Hello again, everyone! And all of you faithful readers! I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am that you are sticking with me and this story! I sincerely apologize for not having updated this chapter sooner. Life has been really, REALLY busy over here. Last week I came back from a vacation with my family, and unfortunately they didn't have any WiFi at the campgrounds we were staying at. And then a massive storm hit us over here on the East Coast, which knocked out everyone's power for miles and for days! On top of that, my computer is glitching, which is REALLY driving me bonkers, but anyways, here I am! And again, I am really sorry!

And thank you again for your patience and for continuing to read and review this story! I practically live for reviews, because reading them makes my day! So thank you in advance for reviewing!

I'm just warning you, this chapter contains alot of McGee whump/angst (Is that what you call it?) but rest reassured, everything will turn out to be alright in the end. This story DOES have a HAPPY ENDING! (I can't write endings that make me sad!) I had alot of trouble writing this chapter, because I'm not very good at writing angst or whump, and I'm not the type of person who likes violence in general, so it took me several tries to write this chapter the best that I could!

I won't keep you waiting any longer. Without further ado, Here is Chapter 15!

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><p>Chapter 15<p>

Cruel Realizations

"Christopher?"

There was an eerie silence that filled the room following Tim's question.

_It can't be Chris… Christopher… or can it? I don't know. I don't want it to be Chris, but I swear that I can recognize that voice. It has to be him. But why? Why would he kidnap me? What does he want from me?_

McGee's train of thought crashed at the station when his captor spoke once again.

"First of all," he snarled, "the name's Chris, not Christopher!" He yanked the mask off his face as soon as he finished saying his sentence, glaring at McGee.

"You've got it all wrong. It's Chris now. Try to ingrain that in your miniscule brain of yours if you can before I do something drastic, alright?" he paused, watching McGee tense in front of him when he spoke.

"Now, let me get one thing straight- I'm the one who's going to do the talking, here, not you. You're going to sit there like the good little agent you are and listen very closely, because I'm not going to repeat myself twice, alright? Good. Now as I was saying…"

"Why? Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" McGee interrupted, completely ignoring Christopher's threat and trying not to betray his thoughts of fear.

"You don't listen very well, do you?" Chris sent a fist flying towards McGee's face and smirked when he hit his target square on the jaw. He drew back and continued to speak as if nothing had ever happened.

"What I was saying, Tim, is that I'm the one who's in charge now. I've got the upper hand here; you don't. And secondly," Chris sneered and without warning, viciously punched McGee again hard in the ribs twice before he could react. "You don't. Speak. Back to me. Unless. I've. Given. You. Permission. Got it?"

"Did your mother ever teach you any manners?" Chris jibed, half-heartedly, not expecting a response.

There was a pause for a moment as McGee tried to think of a comeback.

"Yes, actually, she did. She told me that I should never associate with jerks like yourself, and she also mentioned that it was not nice to insult people, but in your case, I think I can make an exception…" Tim's voice trailed off as Christopher backhanded him on the left side of his face.

McGee jerked to the side after the blow made contact with his cheek. The left side of his face felt like it was on fire. His pain receptors were screaming at him, and although he was in more pain than he had been in before, he chose to ignore it and fought to stay conscious. His headache had intensified after the unexpected blow had landed on his face, but he tried to ignore it and focus on the situation he was facing at the moment.

_Gibbs' Rule 16, "If someone has the upper hand…break it."_ McGee thought wryly._ I don't exactly have the upper hand right now, and there's nothing I can do to break Christopher's hand…Wait, focus, Tim, Focus! The best thing to do right now is to watch and wait for the right opportunity to escape. Oh, and perhaps I can afford to antagonize Christopher a bit more. That should distract him momentarily. _

_What would the rest of the team do if they were in the situation that I'm in now? What would Tony do? He'd probably talk his head off and insult Christopher every time he could. I guess that's what I've been trying to do for the last… five minutes? Has it been five minutes already? It feels like I've been here for a decade. Anyways, I can't talk trash and throw insults like Tony does, but I'll give it a try. And what would Ziva do? She'd work on finding a way to escape, or she'd create her own means of escape. And Gibbs… Gibbs would somehow manage to remain calm in the face of danger, but he would stand up to his enemy as well, and prove that to his enemy that he wouldn't get the best of him. Gibbs would refuse to give away any information, and he'd take a beating without showing any signs of weakness. Gibbs would be silently defiant, while he thought of ways to escape. I think I'll try to do the same._

_If I can distract Christopher by throwing around insults and talk nonsense like Tony does, then that will give me time to come up with an escape plan, or give me time to contact the rest of the team. I'd prefer to escape first, though. Maybe Christopher will make a mistake and give me a clue as to what the heck he wants, and why, or maybe he'll tell me where I am. Knowing that would be helpful. _

"Do you understand?" Chris yelled, impatiently, waiting for a response from McGee.

When McGee ignored Chris's question, Chris proceeded to punch McGee again on his previously bruised ribs. McGee stifled a groan when another punch hit him on the right side of his ribcage but continued to ignore Chris's shouts as he thought about how to approach the situation he was currently in.

_Dang, my ribs are gonna be so much more sore than when I originally left for work yesterday._

_I can't let Christopher think that he's winning. I can't let him think that he's intimidating me. Come on, Tim! You're stronger than this! You can do this! You can survive a couple of hard punches to the gut. You have to stay awake if you want to find out what his plan of attack is. Just stay in there, don't let him overpower you. Don't let him think that you've been defeated. Stay strong. Gibbs will come for you soon._

Mustering up his courage, McGee spoke. "Okay, I get it loud and clear, _Christopher_. What exactly is it that you want me for anyways? You don't by any chance have a grudge against NCIS now, do you?" He put emphasis on the saying Christopher's name.

Another punch to his ribs and McGee knew that he had succeeded in putting up a brave front. He had managed to anger Chris, but he didn't know whether that was a good thing or not yet. McGee grimaced as he felt Chris hit him hard on the right side of his face.

_That's going to form a nice bruise later,_ McGee thought. _Don't I have enough bruises already?_

He couldn't move to deflect any of Chris's blows because of the bonds that were restraining his movement, but he had some control over his head movement. He could turn around left and right, and nod his head up and down, but that was the extent to which he could move. McGee had to stifle another groan when Chris hit him hard in his side. The sides of his chest were already sore and had a fair share of bruises from his unfortunate journey down the cliff Tony had accidently pushed him down.

_Wow, what a lovely way to start the day. If yesterday was bad, then what's today gonna be like?_

When he had finished punishing McGee for his comeback, Chris stood up again and loomed over McGee again.

"The name's Chris, not Christopher! Do. You. Understand?"

"Oh, I understand perfectly well, _Chris-to-pher_. It's not a matter of understanding, it's a matter of choosing to annoy you on purpose. Why don't you tell me what you want from me already?"

McGee's last remark earned him a quick kick to his legs followed by a harsh shove to his shoulders, sending him and the chair he was tied to reeling backwards towards the hard stone floor. McGee's head collided with the ground before he could react, and suddenly multiple waves of pain were flying through his head. McGee squeezed his eyes shut hard as each wave of pain made its presence known in the back of his skull. His headache just became worse. Still, through the pain, he didn't give up.

_That's gonna become a concussion soon. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I have a concussion already! How about that? Two concussions at once, if that's even possible. I doubt it is, scientifically and medically speaking, but if it is possible, then I'll be the first person to experience it firsthand. Ducky would know. Gosh, my head hurts like heck. When will this headache ever end? Wait a second! I'm losing track of time here. I need to get back on track. Let's see how I can annoy Chris this time. Hmm…_

"Are you ready to release me and give up now, _Christopher_?" McGee asked in a muffled voice, from his current position on the floor.

Chris was furious. He was the one who was supposed to be asking the questions, not Tim! He was supposed to be the one who was in control of the situation, but he obviously was struggling with doing just that. Who knew that Tim would be such a sarcastic smart aleck? He thought that Special Agent Tony DiNozzo was supposed to be the talkative smart aleck on Team Gibbs, the man who always put up a brave front and knew how to annoy people like heck, not McGee! McGee wasn't DiNozzo, but he sure a heck was acting like him! And he was annoying the hell out of him. Would this man ever shut up? No, apparently not. What would it take to make him shut up?

Chris walked around Tim's current position on the stone cold floor. Quickly he bent down and raised McGee and the chair he was attached to in an upright position.

"Are you going to shut up now?"

"I don't know, are you? I'll stop talking once you stop talking and close that big mouth of yours." McGee countered. Boy, he sure was pissing off Chris.

**Smack!** Chris punched McGee in the jaw. Dang it, McGee was giving him such a hard time. He was being a pain in the rear end… Wasn't he supposed to be the one giving McGee the hard time? Chris was infuriated. He was furious beyond belief. No one insulted him, ever! He had had enough. He had had enough of Tim's insubordination, his back talk, the sarcastic remarks and smart alecky responses. The insult had been the last straw.

It was time to show McGee that he was the boss, and that he clearly held the upper hand. And that he was serious. He'd had enough of McGee's attitude, and now it was time to get down to business.

"_**Shut up**_, McGee! You will shut up, Tim, and listen to what I have to say, because I've had it! I've been gentle with you so far, but I'm not going to be Mr. Niceguy anymore! I don't want to use this, but I will if I absolutely have to."

Chris reached into his jacket pocket and slowly pulled out a hand gun, gently cradling it in his hands. After holding it for a moment, he raised the gun and pointed it at McGee's chest.

"I'm pretty certain that you know what this is, Tim. That's right; it's a gun, and it is fully loaded. I don't want to use it unless I have to, but don't get me wrong- I won't hesitate to shoot it if you don't cooperate and do exactly as I say. So cut the backtalk and stop the smart aleck remarks or else I will use it. Do I make myself clear?"

McGee realized that he had no other choice but to listen to Chris and do as he said if he wanted to live, so he chose to answer Chris without a sarcastic response this time.

"Yes, you do. I hear you loud and clear, Chris. Just tell me what you want so we can get this over with." McGee grumbled, trying not to let his irritation show.

"Good. You see? That wasn't so hard to do, now, was it? I'm in control now, so admit it!"

Seeing the gun was still aimed at his chest, McGee had no other choice but to do as Chris wanted him to do.

"Fine. You're in control now." _But you won't be the one in control when Gibbs arrives,_ McGee thought to himself.

"Good, Tim! You finally understand the situation now! You should be so proud of yourself, having just figured that out! You know, for someone who's supposed to be a genius, you're pretty stupid. Did you know that? I bet you didn't. I mean, seriously! You walked into my trap at your apartment without a second care in the world! Talk about a lack of common sense! That was not your smartest move, McGee, walking into your household without calling anyone for backup first. I have to say that capturing you was easier than I originally thought it would be. Drugging your dog was the hard part, but knocking you out was easy. If I'd known earlier that you were going to be concerned more about your dog's safety than your own, then I would have killed your dog a long time ago. And actually, I still need to kill him, because there is the chance that he would be able to recognize my scent. But I'll worry about doing that later. And that's all in the past. You're stuck here with me now, and that's all that matters."

As he was occupying himself by boasting how easily he had captured McGee, Chris lowered his gun until it hung loosely in his grasp. The hand that was holding the gun was now resting against his side.

McGee couldn't hide his disgust when Chris talked about how he would have killed Jethro (McGee's dog) sooner if he had known how attached McGee was to him. McGee couldn't stop himself in time from expressing his frustration at Chris.

"You're so full of it, aren't you, _Christopher_? You'd go so far as to hurt, even to _kill_ an innocent dog just so that you could kidnap me, beat me up, and then use me to do your dirty works? That's sick, just sick! Not even a psychopathic murderer would stoop down so low as to kill a dog just to get what he wanted!" McGee yelled.

"Shut up!" Chris shouted in response. McGee paid no attention to what he said, though. McGee continued to rant at Chris.

"That's just cruel! That's beyond cruel! Only the lowest scum of all the dirtbags on Earth would go so far as to kill a dog! You're insane!"

"SHUT UP!" Chris yelled again, furious beyond belief. Still, McGee continued.

"I can't believe that I wanted to help you on the side of the road yesterday. If you're planning on killing my dog, then you're going to have to go through me first! And the rest of my team! And you can go to hell, while you're at it!" McGee yelled, with venom and hate in his voice.

Chris wasn't expecting an outburst from Timothy McGee, but he couldn't make him shut up, nonetheless. Chris was beyond furious. He was in a blind rage. Before he knew what he was doing, he lashed out at McGee and pistol-whipped him with the butt of his gun _hard_ on the head.

McGee winced and gasped in surprise, but slumped forward in his chair after the blow hit. He tried to stay awake and fight the oncoming blackness, but it was a losing battle. Wave after wave of pain coursed through his head, making it impossible for him to ignore. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings as he slumped further forward in his chair and gave in to the blackness. The blackness overwhelmed his vision; he welcomed it and closed his eyes, then fell into a deep unconsciousness.

"Damn it," Chris muttered underneath his breath. "I didn't mean to hit him _that_ hard…"

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So here is Chapter 15! I hope that you guys and gals enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think. I will try to update another chapter soon.


	16. Unexpected Surprises

**Author's Note:**_ Hello, everyone! I'm back! I just returned from a marvelous 2-week vacation in San Diego with a close friend. I apologize that I didn't post an update announcing my departure on my story, but I prefer to keep any and all updates on this story simply that- a new, updated chapter._

_ For those of you who haven't read it yet, I recently published a short, 10-chapter story called "_McGee's Birthday Surprise_" and it can be found under my profile. You don't have to read it if you don't want to, though. It's a little gift that I wrote for one of my BFFF's, _ILoveCrimes. _Anyways, I apologize for the long delay on this chapter, but please bear with me! It is a work in progress._

_And an EXTRA BIG 'thank you!' goes to everyone of you kind people who continue to bear with me and read my story! Thank you for taking the time to read and review my story, and thanks again for your patience. Your reviews are loved!_

And without further ado, here is Chapter 16! Please enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 16<p>

Nightmare and an Unexpeted Surprise

_McGee was standing in a patch of poison ivy. He was surrounded by clouds of mist and fog, and everything including the sky was gray. Suddenly, several figures started to take shape in the mist. He couldn't quite make out who they were yet; the fog was too thick. _

_As the fog around him started to clear, McGee had a clearer view and was able to see the figures in more detail. He gasped when he realized who they were. Standing right in front of him were Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Abby, Ducky and Palmer. McGee yelled, trying to get their attention, but it was no use. _

_Gibbs stared coldly at him and said, "We're not here to rescue you, McGee. We're leaving you here for good. And we're never coming back. We'll never come back for you."_

_Tim's blood ran cold and goose bumps shivered up and down his spine. This couldn't be happening. Could it? Gibbs would never abandon him or kick him off the team for good, would he?_

_Tony spoke up. "It was nice knowing you, Probie. Not! You're not of any use to any of us on team! You were never supposed to be assigned with us in the first place! Good riddance, I say!"_

_McGee was shocked after he heard Tony's words. He thought that Tony was his friend, his colleague! McGee often times looked up to Tony as an older brother, as a mentor! What did he do to make Tony so eager to get rid of him so quickly?_

_Tim couldn't make out Ziva and Abby's words, but he cold tell from their tones of their voices that they were disgusted and disappointed. _

_Ducky and Palmer remained silent, but McGee could see the disappointment and loathing in their eyes. He looked at Palmer and saw fear radiating in his eyes._

_What on earth had he done wrong? What had he done to make everyone on his team turn their backs on him?_

_McGee called out to his team, taking several steps forward as he did so. _

"_Guys? Boss? Tony, Ziva? What have I done wrong? Why are you leaving me here? Why don't you trust me anymore? I thought that you considered me to be your friend! Ducky, you can tell me what's going on, can't you? Please? Anyone? Why won't you guys answer me? No! Wait! Wait for me! Please don't go!" he cried out._

_McGee broke out into a run as the members on the team started to disappear back into the fog. _

"_Guys, please wait! Wait for me! I'm sorry, for whatever it is I've done wrong! I don't even know what I've done wrong!"_

_The members on Team Gibbs were almost completely gone from sight now, but that didn't stop McGee from running towards them._

_He was less than three steps away from where they had disappeared when McGee felt himself stumbling and then falling, falling down through the air. He reached out with his arms and hands desperately, searching for something, anything he could hold onto. His hands only grasped the air._

_He was falling, to his death, and he knew it. The last thing he heard before he hit the ground below were the voices of his teammates. _

"_Goodbye, McGee." Ziva said._

"_Good riddance."_

"_We're never coming back… never coming back… we're never coming back for you."_

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><p>McGee woke up from his sleep with a jolt. He was now wide awake with shock. His head jerked up from against his chest and slammed into the back of the chair that he had been tied to.<p>

BANG!

"Oww…" he moaned, squinting his eyes shut as the pain came in searing waves through his head. He didn't want to close his eyes again after the nightmare he had just experienced, but it was the only thing he could do to relieve the pain as much as he could.

After the initial pain had died down to a dull throb, McGee opened his eyes once more and looked around the room. He was still downstairs in that nasty dark basement, tied down tightly to a chair.

"It was only a nightmare. Only a dream. Gibbs would never leave me here. Heck, he'd never abandon me in the first place! And Tony isn't that mean! The team will come for me. I know they will!" McGee spoke aloud, trying to convince himself.

McGee sat in silence, lost inside his thoughts.

After several moments, he came out of his daze and talked to himself quietly.

"Great," he said aloud to himself sarcastically. "First the nightmare, and now this. I'm still here, tied to a chair and waiting for Gibbs and the rest of the team to come rescue me. Fan-tastic." He muttered.

He was occupying himself by imagining the different ways he could escape when the door at the top of the basement stairs opened. Through the dim light, McGee could just barely make out the form of Christopher walking down the wooden stairs.

"_Here comes trouble,"_ McGee thought.

"Ah, it's good to see that you're awake," Christopher said when he came to a halt in front of McGee. "I was about to come down and wake you up myself. How are you feeling?"

"_Peachy_. Just peachy," McGee answered, not wanting to tell Christopher that he was in pain.

Christopher chose to ignore McGee's sarcasm and dragged a table in front of McGee. Then he placed a laptop flat on the table and turned it on. Immediately after he turned the computer on he connected some wires from a nearby outlet to the laptop's charging source.

"Well, that's good to hear! I'm glad to hear that you're feeling fine. That means that you must be feeling well enough to do what I'm about to tell you to do."

"_Yeah, right. Like I'm going to hack into the CIA database for you, or even better yet, the NCIS network. I'll never do that! Over my dead body!"_ McGee thought.

"What is it _exactly_ that you want me to do? Oh, and you haven't told me why you've kidnapped me and brought me here to this… particular location. Will you be discussing that with me anytime soon?"

Christopher wheeled around from where he was bent over connecting wires and punched McGee hard on the chin.

"I would appreciate it if you would cut the sarcastic tone there, McGee. It's really beginning to get under my nerves. You know, my nerves can be real jumpy sometimes, making my fingers slip. I've been known to as someone who is _'trigger happy'_. You get my drift?" Christopher asked menacingly, in an icy cool tone of voice.

McGee shook his head in an attempt to ease the pain that was flaring in his jaw. He frowned, sighed a long internal sigh, then nodded his head 'yes'.

"I get it, I get it. I just want to know what exactly it is you want me to do, and why you've brought me here in the first place. What did I do to make you feel the need to kidnap me?"

Christopher stood up straight and looked down at McGee.

"It's nothing you did, Tim. It's what _they_ did. At NCIS. It's all about revenge, really. And I abducted you because you were my first choice. That's all you need to know, for now."

McGee was confused and somewhat surprised, but he tried not to let it show. He decided to ask more questions to gain more information from Christopher.

"I don't get it. I mean, why was I your first choice? What's so special about me? What could I _possibly_ have that would drive you to go so far as to kidnap me? And how does this have anything to do with NCIS?"

Christopher paced back in forth, making gestures with his hands as he spoke.

"First off, I meant what I said when I told you that I abducted you because you were my first choice. You were my first and only choice. Why? Because you were the perfect target. Secondly, I have a need for your expertise hacking skills."

Christopher stopped moving for a second and looked McGee in the eyes. He smirked, after seeing McGee's expression. It was priceless.

"Don't look so surprised, McGee. Or would you like it better if I called you 'Timmy'? I've done my research and I know all about you and your team, McGee. I'm not stupid. I've been learning as much as I can about Team Gibbs over the past few weeks, but I've spent most of my time studying you instead. Yes, I know all about your so-called 'Incredible' hacking skills. It seems like you're _quite_ well-known for your computer skills in general, actually. I wouldn't say that you're _famous_, but believe me- a fair amount of people are interested in your abilities. More than you would expect."

This time McGee couldn't hide his shock when Christopher mentioned that he knew of his hacking and computer skills in general. Christopher smirked even more, and then continued on with his speech.

"Anyways… I brought you here because I need you for your hacking skills, which I've heard are something else. You have talent, and you know it. Computers appear to be your strength. Not many people can say that they've graduated from MIT in less than 3 years, and that they have two _Master of Science_ degrees, including one in computer forensics. And it seems to me that you're the brain behind every case Team Gibbs has ever worked on."

Before he could say his next sentence, McGee interrupted Christopher, saying,

"You're wrong! I don't deny owning a computer forensics degree, but honestly, my hacking skills aren't that extraordinary. I only hack into networks and databases when I need to. Computer Forensics is my area of strength and expertise, but I'm not the brain behind all the cases that we've worked on! There's nothing special about me."

Christopher was a little surprised; he had not expected to hear a sudden outburst from McGee. McGee carried on.

"I may be smart, sure, but so is everyone else on the Team! Gibbs is exceptionally smart, Ziva's incredibly wise, and Tony may make some stupid decisions every now and then but he's still pretty smart for the most part. I'm not the one individual who solves each case, and I'm not the person who does the most work out of everyone else! You've got it all wrong. We work _together_ to solve each case, and that's why we're a team! My strength comes from working with everyone on Team Gibbs. In other words, I'm at my best when I work with them. Call me crazy, but Team Gibbs is my strength. And my team, Gibbs' Team, aka Team Gibbs will be your _**downfall**_."

Christopher paid no attention to what McGee said and continued to speak.

"How humble of you, McGee. I should have known that you would say something like that. You're the only humble person on Team Gibbs. Now as I was saying, you appear to be super smart, and that's another reason why I kidnapped you in the first place. You possess raw _genius_, I would even dare to say. And your IQ is way up there past 110. Gibbs knows that. Even I know that."

"Finally, I kidnapped you because you were the easiest target. I mean, there are five simple reasons that made you an easy target. First of all, you had the longest commute out of everyone who works on Team Gibbs. Secondly, you live alone, with the exception of that stupid German Shepard dog of yours. Third of all, you don't even come close to possessing the martial arts skills that your fellow colleague Ziva has. That meant that you wouldn't be able to defend yourself in a close combat fight or a situation in which someone (_like me_) chose to abduct you. Fourth of all, I've noticed that you lack the amount of experience that Tony DiNozzo has, mostly because you aren't as bold or outgoing as he is. I'll put my next point bluntly. You're weak, and you're the underdog. You're too caring, too gentle and way too compassionate! There are the five reasons that you were an easy target!"

"But do you want to know the main reason why I kidnapped you? I kidnapped you because you are a _major_ part of Team Gibbs! You play a major role on that team… several roles, actually. You're Gibbs' geek, the brain of the team, and a fierce field agent who does most of his work in the shelter of the NCIS building. You seem to mean something to each and every individual on Team Gibbs, so I'm assuming that you are very important to them. That's why I expect that your team will be searching for you as soon as they discover that you're missing. But they'll never find you here. And that brings me to the task I have for you at hand…"

McGee truly didn't know what to say. Seriously, Christopher had freaked him out. How did he know so much about his life and Team Gibbs? McGee didn't know how Christopher had managed to acquire so much accurate information about him and the team, but he knew that Christopher was dead on when he spoke about the role he played on Team Gibbs.

"And how does this have to do with NCIS again?" McGee asked, his voice quivering slightly.

Christopher's expression hardened, and he roared out loud.

"I told you that it has to do with revenge! This is all about revenge, right here and right now! NCIS has, and always will be my number one enemy. Why? This is why. Years and years ago your so-called '_leader'_, the infamous '_Leroy Jethro Gibbs_' made my life a living hell. His entire team did, actually. I've hated NCIS, _especially_ Gibbs ever since he turned my life upside down."

Christopher paused for a moment, taking in deep breaths as he struggled to control his temper. He stared directly at McGee with intense anger in his eyes, and said in a forced low voice,

"I've waited to take my revenge for 10 long, hate-filled years, and now I can finally do just that. **TEN** **years**! I've waited for _ten_ _years_ to do this. I can finally hit Gibbs where he'll least expect it, and everyone at NCIS will suffer as a result! I only wish that I could see his reaction when he realizes that I've taken you, his best agent and the heart and glue of his team, away from him, never to be seen again."

McGee thought that he couldn't be shocked anymore, but boy was he wrong. He suddenly felt nauseous after hearing Christopher's cruel, heartless plan to hurt Team Gibbs and the rest of NCIS by abducting him. Just when he thought that things couldn't get any worse, they did.

Christopher wasn't finished speaking yet.

"That's why you're here, McGee. Now you know why I've kidnapped you, but you still don't know why I've kept you alive. I mentioned earlier that I have a need for your hacking skills. I need your help. You see, I've kind of run into a jam- your team is getting _awfully_ close to discovering the identity of the murderer on the case that you're currently working on now, and I'm afraid that I can't allow that to happen."

McGee was confused. _"Why does Christopher need my help, and what does he mean about 'keeping me alive'? Does he plan on killing me?_ McGee quickly rid the thought from his head. _"No, I can't think about that right now. What does he know about the case that we're working on now? He shouldn't know anything at all, and how does he know that we're close to discovering the murderer's identity? He shouldn't know that, he couldn't know anything about our case unless… unless… it can't be. The only way he could know anything about our case is if he…he's the murderer."_

McGee dropped his jaw in sudden shock and realization. Christopher saw his reaction, and chuckled softly.

"I see that you've figured everything out, McGee. I knew that you were smart. And yes, you are right."

He bent down until he was standing over, eye-to-eye in front of McGee and whispered,

"I'm the murderer."

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>_ Gasp! Just kidding. I hope that you guys liked the chapter! Please feel free to leave a review. I will try harder to reply to all of them, when I get the chance! Thanks again! _

_~Optimisticat :D_


	17. Another Normal Monday Morning?

**Author's note: **Hello again, faithful readers! Thank you for your patience with me and with my story, despite the many late updates and such! I have to say that my life has become crazier, now that school has started up once again... can any of you relate? It's as if my free time just packed its bags and suddenly... disappeared! Or disapparated! Or teleported to some other dimension! Anyways, I regret to say that I do not have nearly as much free time as I used to, due to HUGE amounts of schoolwork and homework and essays and studying to do... I think you get the drift.

Due to my new schedule, I am going to try and update a chapter once every Sunday or Saturday, if I possibly can. That way my updates won't be as erratic as they are now. I hope that that is alright with you folks, I'm trying here! This story is a Work In Progress, please do not forget!

A huge 'Thank You' goes out to each and every one of you who have left a review, telling me what is good so far, and what can be fixed. (Such as the level IQ that a genius has. Thank you guys for correcting me on that in my last chapter! If you spot any other mistakes, please feel free to let me know. Constructive criticism is as greatly appreciated as compliments are!)

Just a random funfact, but today is National Encouragement Day in America- most likely considering that yesterday, or the day before September 12th was September 11th. May we never forget that day... or the sacrafices made and those who were left behind...

I want to encourage everyone who chooses to read this tonight. Remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Yesterday was the past, tomorrow is the future. Today is a gift; that's why it's called 'the present'.

Without further ado, I present to you the 17th chapter. It is short, but I will try to make up with a longer one, I promise. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!

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><p>Missing McGee<p>

Chapter 17

Another Normal Monday Morning?

It was 8:15 on Monday morning.

Ziva was sitting quietly at her desk, working diligently on the current case when Tony waltzed into the Bullpen.

"You'll never believe who I went out with Saturday night," he said as he unceremoniously set his bag down on the floor with an audible 'THUMP'.

Ziva rolled her eyes but continued to focus on her computer screen instead.

"Ah, come on, Ziva! Guess! Guess who I had the wonderful privilege of hooking up with on Saturday?" Tony persisted.

Ziva groaned and turned around in her office chair to stare at Tony.

"If I had to guess, I would say you went out with yet another 'sexy' bimbo of a woman. There, I guessed. Now, will you let me finish my work in peace?"

"Ouch, that hurts, Ziva. And no, I did not spend my time with a sexy blonde over the weekend. It looks like you'll have to guess again!"

Ziva groaned, giving up all hope of being able to finish her search on the computer in peace while Tony continued to speak.

"And _me_? Allow you to '_finish working in peace_'? Come on, Ziva, you should know me better than that by now! Since when have I ever let you '_work in peace_'?" Tony asked, with a playful smirk on his face.

"You do when you're busy working on the current case or writing the report that I asked you to turn in last night!" Gibbs said as he made his grand entrance, giving Tony one of his famous 'Gibbs-slaps' along the way.

THWACK!

"Thanks Boss. I guess I had that coming, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did DiNozzo."

Ziva stifled a laugh from her desk, where she was hard at work, typing away on her computer. She couldn't prevent a chuckle from escaping, though. Tony heard her laugh and yelled across the room indignantly,

"Ha, ha, very funny Ziva. That's about as funny as the time I left the screen door open on my submarine."

Tony's last statement only made her laugh harder. She turned in her chair to face Tony, and then asked,

"You have a submarine? I never knew that. Is it yellow? Maybe I can visit you sometime in that yellow submarine of yours, if you really do have one. Don't you think that would be a good idea, Tony?"

Tony stared at Ziva, dumbfounded. His jaw dropped, and then he did a face palm. She wasn't that naïve, was she?

"You're not serious, are you? Of course I don't have a submarine! A yellow submarine, at that! Besides, even if I did happen to have a submarine, I don't think that it would be a smart idea if you came to visit me. You might get seasick. Oh, wait a sec, that's Probie we're talking about. Speaking of, where is he? Shouldn't he be here by now?"

"You're darn right he should," Gibbs growled. "Where is McGee?"

"I don't know, Gibbs. I haven't seen him all morning, and he's generally here before I am." Ziva answered.

"That goes for me as well, Boss. I didn't see his car in the garage this morning. Do you think he could just be running late?" Tony asked.

"He darn better be running late," Gibbs growled once more. "McGee knows that he's supposed to be here on time. And that we need as much help as we can get on this case… Have either one of you heard from him over this morning?"

Tony and Ziva both shook their heads no.

Gibbs silently cursed under his breath.

"Darn it, where is he then?"

Ziva spoke out, "This is not the first time that Tim has been late. He has been late before, Gibbs, and I am positive that he will have a good reason for not being here on time."

"Yeah, Ziva's probably right. McTardy most likely overslept this morning, or something like that. Maybe he's been up all night playing those geeky computer games and simply lost track of time! That would be hilarious if he did… Um, I mean, you never know? What? What'd I do this time?"

Tony looked at Ziva, who was glaring at him for making fun of McGee.

Gibbs ignored their exchange and continued to speak.

"He'd better have a good excuse. If he's not here in the next fifteen minutes, then I'm sending you to personally drag him here back to work, Ziva. Do I make myself clear?" Gibbs asked.

"Crystal clear, Boss." Tony answered, while Ziva simply said, "Yes, Gibbs."

"Good." Gibbs said, and then everyone returned to their work.

Tony started typing up his report, while Ziva continued her search, waiting for McGee to walk through the elevator doors at any moment.

If only McGee could do just that…

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><p><strong>Author's Note (Once Again):<strong> Thank you guys for reading! Remember what today is, and don't forget to smile!


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